Dakuku Peterside, chairman of Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA), has called on developed nations and corporate bodies to support Africa and other developing nations in building capacity and regulatory enforcement needed to maximise benefits of ocean economy.
Peterside, who made the call in Oslo, Norway at the ongoing of the world renowned Nor Shipping Conference & Exhibition, noted that ocean industries will be contributing to sustainable development goals only when both developing and developed nations benefit in a sustainable manner.
The high level ocean leadership meeting was organised by United Nations Global Compact and the Norwegian government, and its holding at the residence of the Prime Minister of Norway, as part of activities to mark the 2019 edition of ‘Nor Shipping’ engagements.
Peterside, who doubles as the director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), also said that 38 of Africa’s 54 nations are either coastal or island states that are faced with the same challenges as other coastal states globally.
He listed the challenges to include pollution, climate change, poor ocean governance, overfishing, insecurity and marine litter among others.
According to him, developing and small island states need partnerships in two principal areas especially in building regulatory enforcement capacity and developing the skills and technology needed to tap into the ocean economy in a sustainable manner.
He however challenged the private sector companies in offshore exploration and other ocean related economic activities to apply the same operating and environmental standards across the globe and not have two different standards, one for developed nations and another for developing nations.
“Applying same standards will ensure no one is left behind in our collective quest for clean and sustainable ocean, which supports economic prosperity. Responsible ocean governance and economic opportunities are not mutually exclusive but complementary,” he added.
Also speaking, Lise Kingo, CEO of UN Global compact said the forum has a specific mandate to work with and inspire companies of all sizes and from all regions and industries to act responsibly and find opportunities to advance sustainable development.
She said her organisation appreciate the fact that many businesses are taking interest in ocean sustainability work.
The forum discussed the highlights of Global goals; ocean opportunities which is a report of the UN Global Compact as well as the UN Global compact sustainable ocean principles that will be unveiled in September this year at New York.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
