The Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has opened talks with members from francophone countries to upgrade its Abidjan based Regional Maritime Academy for Sciences and Technologies to a maritime university.
MOWCA, sources disclosed that the decision for the upgrade came up at the recent 12th Board of Governors’ meeting held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The academy in Abidjan is the Specialised Organ of MOWCA in-charge of training of seafarers and land based staff of the shipping industry for the 15 francophone member States of MOWCA.
This is to make be at the same level with the sister training institutions in Anglophone countries, such as the Regional Maritime University, based in Accra, Ghana.
The process of transforming RMA into a University, according to the source, requires more inputs by other ministers as only two were present out of eight expected at the meeting.
To allow for more inter government and ministerial inputs, the meeting was rescheduled for a later date in Abidjan
It was agreed that a consultant would be appointed by the management of RMA to conduct a broad study on sea training of cadets on board vessels sailing in the Gulf of Guinea.
*Daily Independent
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