Background information
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in cooperation with IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, organized the 2011 Regional Conference and Workshop. This event was held in Lagos, Nigeria, from 10 to 14 October 2011 and is organized within the framework of the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF Project), in cooperation with the Government of Nigeria.
This biennial event gathered the main key government and industry stakeholders of the region with responsibility for oil spill preparedness, response and cooperation with a view of strengthening the oil spill response capability in the region. This event was the fourth of its kind to be organized since the launch of the GI WACAF Project. The previous conferences were held in Gabon (April 2006), Republic of Congo (December 2007) and Cameroon (November 2009).
Conference theme
The theme for the 2011 Conference was "Towards Operational Oil Spill Response in West, Central and Southern Africa" and focused on enhancing regional cooperation in preparedness and response under article 10 of the OPRC Convention by promoting the implementation of the revised Emergency Protocol to the Abidjan Convention (2011). In this context, it is important to note that the initial years of the Project were dedicated to building and updating national oil spill response systems in the countries of the GI WACAF region.
Objectives of the conference
The main objectives of this Conference and Workshop were to:
.1 review the progress achieved since the last regional conference
in Cameroon;
.2 facilitate information sharing and lessons learned in the region;
.3 review the Action Plans at national and regional levels to strengthen oil spill response capability for the coming biennium 2012-2013; and
.4 raise awareness on oil spill preparedness and response issues.
The following additional events were scheduled during the Conference and Workshop:
.1 regional meeting of the GI WACAF Focal Points;
.2 review of the Regional Dispersant Use Policy; and
.3 training session on Shoreline Response Techniques.
The above events were of major importance and offered an opportunity to the countries of the region in their endeavour to develop and strengthen their preparedness and response systems. Delegates had the opportunity to present their activities and the progress achieved since the inception of the project in the field of preparedness and response, and exchange their experience and best practices with their colleagues from the region.
Additional information on the project can be found on the
GI WACAF website. The recommendations of the Conference for the coming biennium 2012-2013 of the project can be found in the
report.
The GI WACAF Regional Conference was co-hosted by NIMASA and NOSDRA, in partnership with IGCC and GCLME.
