Twenty African countries have outlined priority areas for action to strengthen oil spill preparedness and response in the region.
Meeting for the 10th Regional Conference of the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) in Lomé, Togo (25-28 November), national delegates highlighted specific needs that require IMO assistance, including:
- Improving national response systems and updating national oil spill contingency plans;
- Developing guidelines, practical guides and checklists to help with updating the national plans; and
- Strengthening cooperation between government and industry within countries, and between neighbouring countries.
The biennial gathering was an opportunity for the region to review progress in oil spill preparedness, share experiences and good practices, and set strategic priorities for the next two years.
Delegates assessed the level of preparedness in their respective countries and updated their Country Maritime Profiles. They drafted national action plans, highlighting potential areas of further support through the GI WACAF Project.
GI WACAF is a joint initiative of the IMO and IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for advancing environmental and social performance. Its main objective is to improve the level of preparedness and response to oil spills in the west, central and southern Africa region. The scope of the project is currently being extended to include hazardous and noxious substances, in line with provisions in the 2000 OPRC-HNS Protocol.
The 10th GI WACAF Regional Conference was delivered through IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP). The following countries were represented at the event: Angola, Benin, Cabo Verde, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.
