Media practitioners in the African shipping industry under the aegis of African Maritime Journalists Association AMJA, have made a strong case for the various governments in the continent to come up with a united force against the increasing spate of insecurity within the continent’s waters.
President of the association, Mr. Sesan Onileimo, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the five-man executive council of the association in Lagos, urged African leaders to close ranks on maritime security to boost economic growth and development of the continent, The newly sworn Exco apart from Onileimo, comprise Ms. Colleen Jacka (South Africa), Vice President, Mr. George Sunguh (Kenya). Secretary General, and Ms Grace Nana Boateng, a Ghanaian, who is the Treasurer.
The president, who delivering a speech shortly after the inauguration, said that it would take the cooperation and collaboration of African government to come up with a strong force that Cuswould adequately check the excesses of sea pirates and other criminal elements in the continent with a view to securing the waterways.
The pioneer president of the association said it was not by chance that 38 out of the 54 African countries are located within the coastal region.
“This is a calculated plan by nature to make the region a blue economy that can trigger economic advancement in other sectors. There is vast endowment in aquatic and non-aquatic resources, including oceans, seas, coasts, lakes and underground waters.
The rising insecurity in the rich Gulf of Guinea is scaring and can spur investor’s boycott of the region. Intra subregional trade is doing well to drive the cost of moving goods from one country to another in the North Africa. It will better if such trend is broadened in other African States”, Onileimo added.
He said that the spirit behind the recent African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa hosted by the government of Togo was apt.
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