The roadmap was finalised during a workshop in Maputo from at the end of July, organised by the International Maritime Organisation with financial support from the European Union (EU) through the Crisis Response Project for the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean.
The workshop brought together representatives from government ministries, maritime agencies and security institutions to develop a nationally owned plan for establishing and operationalising a multi-agency National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC).
The centre is expected to strengthen maritime domain awareness, improve coordination between national institutions and support Mozambique’s integration into regional information-sharing systems under the Djibouti Code of Conduct.
Opening the workshop on behalf of the government, Maritime Transport Institute Board Member Lourenço Afonso José Machado reaffirmed Mozambique’s commitment to stronger maritime governance and regional cooperation. “Effective responses to threats such as piracy, illicit trafficking, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and fraudulent vessel registration require robust information-sharing mechanisms and coordinated action across national institutions and with regional partners,” Machado said.
Participants reviewed Mozambique’s legal, institutional, technical and operational framework and identified priority actions needed to establish a fully operational NMISC.
The workshop also examined existing coordination mechanisms, legal and procedural gaps, governance arrangements and standard operating procedures.
The roadmap sets out practical milestones to achieve full operational capability while strengthening cooperation between agencies and improving timely information exchange among national authorities.
Mozambique’s integration into regional maritime security structures was also highlighted during the workshop.
Experts from the EU CRIMARIO project, the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre in Madagascar and the Regional Coordination Operations Centre in Seychelles shared experiences on information sharing, operational coordination and joint responses to maritime incidents.
Their participation helped Mozambican officials better understand how national centres contribute to collective maritime awareness across the Western Indian Ocean.
The initiative builds on earlier work under the EU-funded Port Security Project, which supported groundwork for the establishment of a National Maritime Security Committee.
Mozambique has also expressed interest in joining the Safe Seas for Africa Project and the wider Regional Maritime Security Architecture.
Participants said the roadmap provides a strong foundation for improving national maritime information sharing and strengthening Mozambique’s contribution to regional maritime security.
The roadmap will now be refined and submitted to government for review and endorsement, forming the basis for future technical assistance and capacity-building under the CRP-RedWIO project.
–IMO/ChannelAfrica–
