Regional states advance plan for unified shipping line

Kenya and 18 other countries in Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa have intensified efforts to establish a joint regional shipping line as part of a broader strategy to cushion their economies from global supply chain disruptions and high commodity prices.

The states, meeting in Nairobi under the Maritime Organisation for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA), are reviewing draft feasibility reports on setting up the shipping line alongside a regional maritime cargo protocol aimed at strengthening Africa's control over its maritime trade.

MOESNA Secretary-General Kassim Mpata said the initiative is designed to close a long-standing gap in the region's maritime capacity, noting that nearly 90 per cent of Africa's international trade moves by sea, yet regional maritime connectivity remains weak.

"We don't have a regional cargo protocol to encourage investment in vessels. We don't have a regional framework for collaboration among indigenous shipping lines, and so we continue operating in silos," Mpata said. "This framework will allow us to promote vessel ownership, improve collaboration and strengthen the region's maritime trade."

The proposed cargo protocol will set common rules for vessel movement within the region, encourage investment in coastal shipping services, and support the growth of local shipping lines, areas that have long been dominated by multinational operators.

Mpata said the lack of coordinated maritime policy has left African economies exposed to external shocks, particularly volatile global freight charges.

"We need to consider ourselves as one as far as maritime is concerned. Working together is not enough; we must have protocols that guide this collaboration," he said, urging member states to prioritise its ratification once the framework is completed.

Principal Secretary of State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Aden Millah, said reliance on foreign shipping lines has constrained regional trade and exposed countries to unpredictable pricing. "We are at the mercy of international companies. We have no control over the charges and the rules of the game they dictate," said Millah. [Sofia Ali]