The tenth Ipieca-International Maritime Organization (IMO) Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) regional conference took place in Lomé, Togo from 25 to 28 November. The conference was organized by IMO and Ipieca, in close collaboration with the government of Togo, particularly the Ministry of Maritime Economy and coastal protection.
It brought together 120 participants, including key government and industry representatives from the 20 African partner countries of GI WACAF: Benin, Cabo Verde, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo.
Usually delivered every two years, this regional conference is a regular event in the Ipieca-IMO GI WACAF programme. The conference was designed to address the challenges of oil spill preparedness and response in the region, to review the progress achieved since the last regional conference held in November 2022, and to foster discussions to set the strategic priorities for 2025-2027.
The objectives of the conference were to:
- Present some recent and ongoing activities in the WACAF region
- Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices
- Identify the actions to be implemented as a priority within the 2025-2027 action plan in order to enhance preparedness for and response to oil spills in the region
- Discuss the possible axes of evolution of the GI WACAF project
- Exchange ideas on how to reinforce cooperation between industry and governments
To address these objectives, the four-day programme included case studies, technical presentations with interactive sessions such as discussion groups and tabletop exercises. In addition, prior to the conference, national delegates were asked to assess the level of preparedness of their respective countries by updating their Country Maritime Profiles, as well as drafting their respective national action plans, highlighting potential areas of further support through the GI WACAF Project. The last day of the conference was dedicated to face-to-face meetings with national delegates to discuss these documents. The conclusions of these meetings will be used to develop recommendations to feed into the strategic action plan for 2025-2027.
Technical support needs were highlighted during the event:
- Support to improve national response systems and, consequently, to update the national plans and the development of guidelines, practical guides and checklists to help do so
- Strengthening cooperation between government and industry within countries, and between neighbouring countries
- Support on hazardous and noxious substances
About GI WACAF
Launched in South Africa in 1996, the Global Initiative (GI) is a programme through which the IMO and Ipieca work together to build global oil spill preparedness and response capabilities and is currently active in over 80 countries across different regions.
