Amid growing concerns over fragmented Maritime Education and Training (MET) systems, inadequate training infrastructure, shortages of qualified instructors, and Africa’s continued underrepresentation in the global seafaring workforce, Eastern, Southern, and Northern African states are pushing for reforms to harmonize maritime training standards.

The reforms include the proposed establishment of a Regional Maritime University (RMU) aimed at strengthening maritime education and improving the region’s competitiveness in the global shipping industry.

Stakeholders say the initiative seeks to address long-standing weaknesses in maritime education that have limited the region’s ability to produce globally competitive seafarers, maritime engineers, logistics experts, and policy specialists needed to support Africa’s expanding blue economy and rapidly evolving global shipping industry.

A feasibility study presented during a high-level stakeholders’ workshop in Nairobi revealed that most Maritime Education and Training (MET) institutions across the region continue to face serious structural challenges.

These include inadequate equipment and technology for practical training, shortages of professionally qualified trainers and assessors, weak institutional capacity, and limited coordination among training institutions.

The study also identified the high cost of maritime education as a major barrier preventing many young people from pursuing seafaring careers, while institutions struggle to attract and retain experienced instructors due to funding constraints and competition from international markets.

Professor Anish Hebbar, the lead consultant undertaking the feasibility study, said the region’s fragmented maritime education system has hindered the sharing of expertise, infrastructure, and resources among member states, weakening Africa’s competitiveness in the global maritime sector.

“We found significant disparities in maritime training capacity across the region, with some countries having relatively developed infrastructure while others remain largely underserved. This fragmentation has affected standardization, collaboration and the region’s ability to respond effectively to global maritime labour demands,” said Prof Hebbar.

The study, commissioned under the auspices of the Maritime Organization for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA), is being carried out in collaboration with World Maritime University (WMU), a globally recognized postgraduate maritime institution established by the United Nations through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and headquartered in Sweden.

The Nairobi workshop follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between MOESNA and WMU last year, laying the groundwork for technical cooperation in the establishment of the proposed regional university.

According to findings presented during the workshop, maritime training capacity remains unevenly distributed within the region, with Kenya and Tanzania accounting for a significant share of existing maritime education infrastructure, while several other member states have limited or underdeveloped training ecosystems.

Stakeholders noted that this imbalance has contributed to restricted access to maritime education and a fragmented regional training framework that struggles to meet growing industry demands.

The report further revealed that despite the increase in maritime training institutions, the regional maritime labour market remains relatively small and heavily dominated by certificate, diploma, and short proficiency courses, with limited postgraduate and specialized training opportunities.

Heavy dependence on foreign training institutions and external resources has also slowed the development of sustainable local maritime expertise.

Statistics presented during the workshop illustrated Africa’s limited contribution to the global seafaring workforce. Data from 2021 showed Tanzania supplying about 4,365 seafarers globally compared to Kenya’s 185, Ethiopia’s 275, and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 122.

Overall, Africa contributes only about four percent of the world’s seafarers, far below Asia and the Pacific region, which accounts for 50 percent, Europe at 33 percent, and the Americas at 10 percent.

Prof Hebbar said the proposed RMU is intended to address these gaps by creating a harmonized regional maritime education framework capable of producing globally competitive professionals while strengthening research, innovation, and maritime policy development.

“The idea is not simply to establish another academic institution, but to create a centre of excellence that will support research, innovation, policy development, and advanced maritime training aligned to global standards and emerging industry trends,” he said.

He added that the proposed university would also help the region prepare for future changes shaping the maritime sector, including technological transformation, environmental compliance requirements, decarbonization, and the global energy transition agenda leading to 2050.

Survey findings presented during the workshop indicated a strong demand for maritime professionals across the MOESNA region. About 62 percent of respondents described the current demand for maritime professionals as “very high,” while 24 percent rated it as “high.” Only 10 percent considered demand moderate, while four percent described it as low.

The study identified major regional skills gaps in maritime law, engineering, safety management, logistics, environmental compliance, and technical operations, areas increasingly critical in the evolving global maritime industry.

Respondents also identified postgraduate programmes, technician certificates, and specialized professional training as among the most urgently needed academic offerings.

Participants at the workshop said the proposed RMU could significantly improve collaboration among maritime institutions by enabling the sharing of facilities, expertise, instructors, and training resources across member states.

The institution is also expected to strengthen regional standardization of maritime qualifications and certifications, improve research capacity, and support evidence-based maritime policy formulation.

Prof Hebbar noted that involving WMU in the feasibility study provides the process with international credibility and allows the proposed institution to benchmark itself against globally recognized maritime universities and best practices.

“WMU brings extensive experience in postgraduate maritime education, capacity building and international maritime policy. That experience is helping us ensure that the proposed RMU is designed to meet international expectations while remaining responsive to Africa’s unique needs and realities,” he said.

The feasibility study adopts a participatory and evidence-based approach involving stakeholder interviews, data collection, benchmarking, and consultations with governments, regulators, private sector players, and Maritime Education and Training institutions across the region.

The study officially commenced on August 21, 2024, and is expected to culminate in a final report by July 31 this year.

Experts attending the Nairobi workshop said the establishment of the Regional Maritime University could become a transformative step toward strengthening Africa’s participation in global shipping and maritime trade while supporting the continent’s blue economy ambitions through the development of a skilled and globally competitive maritime workforce.