Progress has been made towards operationalising the National Maritime Information Sharing Centre (NMISC) in the United Republic of Tanzania to advance the country's maritime security capabilities.
A national workshop in Dar Es Salaam (4-7 August) brought together ten national agencies along with a team of IMO experts to formulate a practical and actionable roadmap for the Centre.
The event, which took place under the EU-funded "Safe Seas for Africa" (SSA) initiative, underscored Tanzania's commitment to regional cooperation under the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its Jeddah Amendment (DCoC/JA).
"This assessment is timely and strategic - it will enable us to jointly identify priority areas, close existing gaps, and develop a practical roadmap that reflects both Tanzania's needs and international good practice," said Ms. Mtumwa Said, Director General, Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA).
Ms. Winnie Maina, Regional Programme Assistant at IMO, said the meeting helped to bolster maritime security and safety in the Western Indian Ocean by strengthening intra-national, inter-agency, and inter-regional coordination and cooperation.
During the workshop, the IMO team collaborated closely with national stakeholders to:
- Assess the current institutional, legal, and operational frameworks;
- Identify priority areas for technical assistance and capacity building;
- Explore mechanisms for inter-agency coordination and information sharing; and
- Develop a sustainable and effective roadmap for the NMISC's long-term success.
This roadmap will serve as a foundational document, informing upcoming technical workshops that will guide the Centre towards achieving its operational milestones.
This collaboration is anticipated to reinforce Tanzania's leadership in regional maritime security as well as contribute to the broader objectives of the Safe Seas for Africa project.
Agencies that participated in the workshop include the Ministry of Transport (MOT), Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA), National Prosecutions Service (Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions - NPS ODPP), Zanzibar Port Corporation (ZPC), Marine Police, Immigration Department, Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), National Joint Operations Centre (NJOC), Ministry of Information, Communication, and Technology (MOICT) and Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC).
