GI-WACAF
The Global Initiative for West and Central Africa (GI WACAF) is a partnership between the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) to enhance the capacity of countries to prepare for and respond to marine oil spills.
A key innovative feature is emphasis the promotion of public/private partnership for effective oil spill response making use of existing industry expertise and resources.
This enduring programme is jointly funded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and eight international oil company members (BP, Chevron, ENI, ExxonMobil, Marathon, PERENCO, Shell and Total) through the International Petroleum Environment Conservation Association (IPIECA). The mission is to strengthen the national (and thereby the regional) oil spill response capability in 22 West African countries covering all the littoral state between (and including) Mauritania and South Africa. Preparedness and response cooperation is built through the establishment of local partnerships between the local operating oil company business units and the governmental authorities in charge of oil spill preparedness and response at national level. Bringing together industries and governments at a sub-regional level for workshops, training events and conferences ensures that good practice is shared throughout the wider region.
The GI WACAF is based on an effective management system which has established six goals of preparedness with associated key performance indicators to enhance the capacity of countries to prepare for and respond to marine oil spills. These goals directly mirror the six elements of preparedness which are central tenets of the OPRC 90 Convention:
- Goal 1: Legislation: Promote the ratification of the relevant international Conventions
- Goal 2: Contingency plan: Have contingency plan for all the countries of the region
- Goal 3: Designation of authority: Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for oil spill response
- Goal 4: Regional agreement: promote exchange and mutual assistance between nations
- Goal 5: Training: Ensure that a robust training and exercise programme is developed
- Goal 6: National capabilities: support countries in developing their own national response system
OSRL is a Technical Partner of IPIECA and works collaboratively with the GI-WACAF members (which are also OSRL members) to support the delivery of GI-WACAF activities, including training events, workshops, meetings and advocacy opportunities. Additionally OSRL provides a Project Manager to IPIECA on a full-time funded secondment basis to implement the programmed activities.
For further information please visit www.giwacaf.org
Back to Global Initiative