Abuja MoU Launches a Five-Year Project to Strengthen Port State Control in West and Central Africa supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation
• The five-year capacity building project was officially launched today with an inaugural ceremony and a Regional Workshop for Directors-General / Chief Executive Officers and Heads of Port State Control of Maritime Administrations in Lagos, Nigeria.
• The project will strengthen inspector capability, regulatory alignment, data-driven inspection practices, integrity, systems and regional mentoring across West and Central Africa.
• The workshop is being held from 29 June to 1 July 2026 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme: “A Future-Ready Port State Control Regime: Leadership, People, Governance, and Performance for Safer Maritime Systems.”
The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control for West and Central African Region (Abuja MoU), with the valued support of Lloyd’s Register Foundation, today formally launched a five-year regional capacity building programme aimed at promoting greater awareness of the strategic importance of Port State Control and encouraging sustained policy support for its effective implementation.
The programme seeks to enhance the knowledge, skills, and operational capabilities of Port State Control Officers throughout the region, thereby reinforcing efforts to uphold maritime safety, safeguard seafarers’ welfare, protect the marine environment, and strengthen the effectiveness and integrity of the Port State Control regime across West and Central Africa.
The project commenced with an inaugural ceremony and the official opening of the Abuja MoU Regional Workshop for Directors-General/ Chief Executive Officers and Heads of Port State Control, taking place from 29 June to 1 July 2026 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The workshop brings together senior maritime leaders, Director Generals and Chief Executive Officers of Maritime Administrations, Heads of Port State Control, technical experts and regional partners to agree on practical actions for building a future-ready Port State Control regime anchored on leadership, people, governance and performance.
Supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and led by Abuja MoU, the project responds to practical challenges affecting Port State Control in the region, including uneven inspection coverage, inconsistent inspector capability, regulatory implementation gaps, and the need for stronger transparency, data quality and quality assurance systems.