Oil spill

A regional conference of countries in west, central and southern Africa has committed to continue to work at both national and regional levels to boost preparedness to deal with oil spill incidents which could be devastating both for the marine environment and financially. The conference in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, brought together industry and government focal points from 20 out of 22 west, central and southern African countries covered by the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa. The project aims to enhance oil-spill preparedness in a particularly vulnerable region, adjacent to international sea trade routes and significant and rapidly expanding offshore oil and gas activity.