The International Maritime Organization (IMO), in partnership with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), held a five-day regional train-the –trainer workshop on Port State Control for Abuja MoU Maritime Authorities in Lagos, Nigeria, to boost port State control capacity across West and Central Africa. T The train-the-trainer programme aims to develop pool of national instructors and Port State Control Officers (PSCOs) who will return to their countries to train additional Port State Control Officers, thereby helping to harmonise inspection standards across the region.Port State control plays a crucial role in ensuring in ensuring that foreign vessels trading and calling at ports within the region are compliant with the requirements of the international conventions on Maritime safety, security, and environmental protection. Strong regional cooperation and consistent uniform inspection practices are widely recognized as crucial to reducing substandard shipping and enhancing compliance.
The workshop took place from 10 to 14 November 2025 in Lagos, Nigeria and brought together 31 participants from 22 Abuja MoU Member States. Participating States included Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.
The training focused on inspection procedures, reporting, performance improvement, and risk management. Participants reviewed practical methods for monitoring compliance and strengthening their national systems in line with global best practice.
The Abuja MoU Secretariat contributed actively to the programme with three presentations. The Secretary General, Capt. Sunday Umoren delivered an update on Abuja MoU activities and ongoing initiatives. Engr Richard Owolabi, Head Technical, led a session on the use of the EMSA RuleCheck application. Mr Akin Adedotun, Information System Officer, delivered a presentation on reporting obligations to both IMO (GISIS) and the Abuja MoU Information System (AMIS).
Five women took part in the training following IMO’s call for wider gender participation.
The workshop was jointly funded by the IMO Technical Cooperation Fund and contributions from Malaysia.
