Maritime Africa: Strength, promise and opportunity

Badore Ferry terminal. (Credit: Kunmi Agbaje, Manager of Corporate Strategy and Planning, Caverton)

By Roberta Weisbrod, Executive Director, Worldwide Ferry Safety Association

The Regional Ferry Conference late June in Lagos was the opportunity to find out what is happening in maritime in Africa.

The State Government of Lagos launched, in the past few years, a far-reaching well-regulated ferry system with 729 ferries on over 30 routes.

Over 83% of the ferries are the informal sector, open boats with outboard motors, that serve as feeders and currently as low-cost alternatives; the rest are enclosed vessels. All ferries are licensed and regulated by the Lagos State Waterway Authority (LASWA), headed by Oluwadamilola “Dami” Emmanuel. All vessels are checked by guards at dockside against overloading of passengers and freight; they also see that all passengers on the informal and formal sector wear life jackets.  Ferries are inspected bi-annually and via spot check. Ferries traversing the waterways are monitored at a command center with night vision capability. Any violations—like travel at night—are enforced, often via a jet ski patrol. 

Success built on success

Building on this success, the Governor of the State of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, just gave the go-ahead for the  Omi Eko project (Omi is Yoruba for “Water”). With a budget of US$464 million, there will be 78 electric ferries, dredging of 140 km of waterways, and new floating jetties to handle the one-meter tidal range. Terminals will be upgraded to accommodate electrification. Most of the funding comes from European Sources together with Lagos State and private sector sources.

While Lagos Ferries can be deemed a success—safe, and with a commitment to sustainability, not so the inland waterway of Nigeria and other parts of Africa. As Dr. Paul Adalikwu, the head of the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) recently pointed out “over 8,000 lives have been lost in ferry-related incidents within the sub-region in the last decade, with Nigeria, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of Congo being the hardest hit.” The Worldwide Safety Association has since 2000 kept records of media reports of ferry fatalities the world over, and noted that most of the accidents in that region in the last decade were by vessels for which there was no name reported—hence unregulated and uncontrolled.

Because of this horrific record, MOWCA has partnered with Interferry and came together for a third workshop conference, this one in Lagos and hosted by LASWA at the Lagos Continental Hotel.  (The previous workshops also organized by Interferry and its FerrySafe Committee were in Dar Es Salaam and Marrakech both in 2024). There were over 220 participants from the maritime sector of Nigeria and other African nations.  Speakers shared their findings and best practices. The meteorologic agency NIMET reported that over the last decade maritime weather is getting worse in unprecedented ways and places, so there needs to be more weather monitoring.

Interferry experts from its FerrySafe Committee led by Oliver Weiss, spoke and or moderated. An outstanding feature was the two Interferry Board member operators who spoke directly to their counterparts. Tim Mooney, CEO Fire Island Ferries, and Chair of the Interferry Board, said “I bleed the same blood as you. I am an owner operator just like many of you, I know what you are going through”. Mary Ann Pastrana, chairman of Archipelago Ferries, Philippines, which she and her husband Chet founded 23 years ago when the Philippines had a very poor safety record. This has much improved thanks to Archipelago’s leadership. Mary Ann spoke about the challenges of maintenance and training.  Both operators offered an open door to discuss issues and options for handling them.

The Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) was the key player at the conference. The organization consists of 25 African nations with headquarters in Cote d’Ivoire. Dr. Paul Adalikwu who spent his career working in international maritime issues in Africa has a keen understanding and the personal ability to grow the organization for maximum effectiveness. He is planning a maritime development bank and the expansion of membership to cover all maritime Africa.

Following the conference in Lagos, on July 1, Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan and MOWCA Dr. Paul Adalikwu signed an MOU that states, “Key areas of joint action include information campaigns for policymakers and the public regarding ferry safety and sustainability. The agreement also covers training seminars for maritime personnel, technical staff, and safety officials. Both organizations will work to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks for ferry development. Studies on domestic ferry markets, including needs assessment and infrastructure sustainability, are also planned. Additionally, the MOU fosters cooperation between Interferry members and local operators to improve ferry company operations in West and Central Africa. The agreement also facilitates the exchange of information and mutual invitations to meetings, ensuring continuous dialogue.”

Given all the capabilities on both sides of the MOU, achievement is likely. To complement this endeavor Worldwide Ferry Safety Association, working with Nigerian naval architect David Okafor, will sponsor its next international maritime student design competition to design for a ferry for a segment of the Nigerian inland waterways, will work directly with colleagues at Nigerian naval and maritime schools, and seek to enhance maritime weather monitoring and communication.