The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) has secured maritime training scholarships worth $1.3 million from the Indonesian government for 96 persons.
Secretary General of MOWCA, Dr. Paul Adalikwu, who confirmed this after signing an agreement with the Indonesian authorities for the training said seafarers from West and Central Africa would be availed the opportunity in two separate programmes.
According to him, scholarships will cover Training of Trainers (TOT) and training for Assessment, Examination, and Certification of Seafarers.
The TOT program is based on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) model course 6.09, which focuses on training instructors in the maritime field.
The second program is based on IMO model course 3.12, which deals with training personnel from maritime administrations and training institutions responsible for seafarers’ certification.
He added that the slots for the training is to be distributed among member states of the organisation.
The training programs will be conducted in four batches of 24 persons each. The provisional dates for the programs are:
– TOT program: Batch 1 (October 11-26, 2025) and Batch 2 (November 1-16, 2025)
– Assessment, Examination, and Certification program: Batch 1 (October 18 to November 2, 2025) and Batch 2 (November 15 to 30, 2025)
The objective of the training programs is to ensure that Certificates of Competence issued to seafarers from the MOWCA region are fully compliant with the provisions of the Standard of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.
The scholarships cover the total cost of the programs, including air transport, accommodation, tuition fees, and per diems.
MOWCA Ministers in charge of maritime transport have been informed about the training opportunities and eligibility conditions, which include drug-free confirmation tests for applicants.
The scholarships will benefit seafarers and instructors from West and Central Africa, including institutions such as the Regional Maritime University, Ghana, the Regional Academy of Science & Technology of the Seas, and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria.
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