Liberia Plays Pivotal Role in Enhancing Training For Auditors
June 26, 2009, Monrovia, Liberia – The Bureau of Maritime Affairs (BMA) has identified as a key factor in its recovery program—the need for capacity building through the regular training of its staff. In this light, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), under its Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme (VIMSAS), together with the BMA, recently conducted a training course for countries in the West African sub-region.
VIMSAS provides an audited Member State with a comprehensive and objective assessment of how effectively it administers and implements those mandatory IMO instruments which are covered by the Scheme. VIMSAS is used by the IMO to assist its members achieve a uniformed measure of compliance to IMO Conventions and Standards. This helps to ensure that the IMO’s objectives of safe, secure and efficient shipping on clean oceans are realized.
The seminar, which was held from June 22 - 26, 2009, was conducted by two IMO consultants, Mr. George Christofi and Mr. Antonio Moreira. Participants from the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia were informed about international regulations that should be effectively and consistently be implemented by member states of the IMO. The seminar also gave participants insight into how developing and strengthening each countries auditing capacity would benefit their maritime administrations
Speaking at the Workshop’s Opening Program, BMA’s Commissioner Binyah C. Kesselly, challenged the participants to use the knowledge acquired from the training course to benefit their respective countries and be good ambassadors. He said that since training is critical to the inner workings of the IMO, it is his administration’s objective to begin setting new goals related to capacity building in order to meet maritime bench marks of the future.
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