Recomendaciones

sector. This awareness was initially generated largely, by the

first and second UNCTADs held in 19^4 and 1968 respectively.

UNCTAD I and II highlighted the existing, but untackled shipping

problems of developing countries ranging from complete dependence

on foreign flag for the sea transport of their international trade

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to those partly dependent and struggling to expand their national merchant marines. The problems had to do with the decline in developing countries' terms of trade which were being further aggravated by the heavy impact of rising freight rates and the inadequacies associated with the existing institutional mechanism in shipping. This inadequate institutional mechanism concerned mainly the monolithic structure of the liner- conference system with the consequence that developing countries faced difficulties wi'th respect to admission of their national shipping lines into conferences, unilateral fixing of freight rates, discriminatory practices, the stifling of competition by tying shippers in loyalty agreements and the refusal of conferences to hold meaningful consul­ tations with shippers from .developing countries.

In the Vest/Central African region, the problems were felt marke­ dly in view of the fact that most of the countries in the region were newly independent and emerging out of colonial economic

structures. The initial problem concerned high freight rates. In the early 70s freight rate increases unilaterally imposed by the liner conferences in the region's trade, have averaged more or less

25

in the region have been generally higher than elsewhere in the world. Palm oil, for instance, was exported to the European common market at the cost of US $45 per- ton, while Malaysia oil was exported to the same countries, over longer distances at the cost of US $25 per ton. The underlying factors for these were poor port pro­

ductivity and inadequate shipping services. Furthermore, accor­ ding to the United Nations statistical records for the year 1973» more than

6096

developing countries» when the share of those countries in world shipping traffic did not exceed 8% during the same period. As regards the share of Africa it was round

0,4%,

1970

dual countries in the region had begun to respond to the problems by initiating policies. The Ivory Coasts for instance^ established a Shippers' Council aimed at holding negotiations wlith linerr con- ferences-,on freight rates and other conditions of shipping. Ghana, which is the first country in the region to establish a national linej had been considering cargo reservation measures particularly for cocoa and timber. However it was quickly realised that the bar­ gaining strengths, at individual country levels, was insignificant and a regional approach was needed.

In May 1975* the p n i s t erial Conference of Vest and Central African States_on_Maritimg Transport (MINCONMAR ) convened in Abidjan on the initiative of His Excellency President Felix Houphouet Boigny of the Ivoiry Coast. Opening the conference the President set the immediate objectives of the conference into perspective when he said

53

”I particularly believe that, for African Nations' whose participation in maritime transport arisen from their own needs- is small, it is now essential to jointly elaborate a way to talk good sense to the foreign shipowners on which they depend and then to talk by common consent”

At this meeting of ministers, the "Abidjan Charter” was drawn up. The Charter underscored the need in the subregion for co-ordination and co-operation in the field of maritime transport and the taking of action to bring about the enforcement of the principle

- 156 -

&

of consultation prior to the setting and subsequent implementa­ tion of any increase in freight rates.

Paced with the immediate problems of high freight rate increases on the West and Central African Shipping range, the ministers at this meeting created a 4-nation (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Zaire), Regional Freight Rate Negotiating Committee and mandated the committee to immediately proceed to consultation on, and as appropriate negotiate proposed freight rate increases between

25

to

50

tiating committee is now made up of 10 nations (details on the working of this committee is given later in this section). The Ministers also set for the guidance of the Freight Rate Negotiating Committee:, limits to the maximum freight rate increases which they considered the economies of the region could bear.

Barring a deadlock with UKWAL at the subsequent negotiations, the Freight Rate Negotiating Committee achieved significant suceess in all its consultaticn and negotiations with the rest of the liner conferences. The adoption of the principle of consultation was emphatically endorsed and the liner conferences took ample notice of this.

t

The first Ministerial Meeting in Ivory Coast was followed by regular sessions in Cameroon (l9?6), Ghana (1977), Senegal (l978), Gabon (1981,1984), and special sessions in Senegal (l979), Gabon (

1982

The minister responsible for Transport/Maritime affairs of the host nation chairs the conference until the next regular session.

The broad policy objectives of MINCONMAR is divided into five parts:

(a) Maritime Affairs

(b) Development of shipping companies (c) Ports

(d) Landlocked countries (e) Training and Information

Appendix

6,1

^ggMIgAL, OP STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENTS IN MINCONMAR (

1975-1984

(

1

0

————— * six states were required to

ratify the convention to enable the Ministerial Conference to assume a permanent and legal existence. By

1984

ei^.t countri^ar out of twenty^five have ratified the convention, virtually all the countries had amply demonstrated liacit appro­ val of the existence of the Ministerial conference. The

attainment of a permanent status for the Ministerial Conference was accompanied by the establishment of a permanent Secretariat in Abidjan with a full-time Secretary-General appointed in

1979

The Secretariat services the Ministerial Conference both admini- tratirely and technically and coordinates the activities of the specialised bodies vizj the Union of Shippers' Councils, Regional Freight Rate negotiating Committee, Port Management Association, Association of National Shipping Lines, as well as fostering cooperation with other economic groupings in the region such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other international _{agencies viz; UNCTAD, UNDP,}

- 158

EGA and IMG, The Secretariat has established a shipping investi­