From 1967, the Organization operated on ad hoc basis until 1974 when a permanent Secretariat was established, hosted by the republic of Kenya in the Coastal city of Mombasa. The Secretariat main function was to facilitate the implementation of the Organization’s programmes. The Organization operated primarily as an Intergovernmental Platform providing technical advisory and support to its member states with limited engagement with the private sector and other maritime stakeholders.

With the signing of the African Maritime Transport Charter 2010 coupled by the increase in common challenges facing regional states in International Maritime Trade and the rising awareness about the critical importance of the Shipping to African Economies, the Organization’s activities attracted more Interest from other regional states some of whom expressed their Interest to join Membership of the Maritime body.

During the 1st Assembly of Ministers responsible for Shipping and Maritime matters of the States in the Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa held in Entebbe Republic of Uganda, regional states acknowledged the growing complexity of maritime issues, the shared nature of maritime bodies, facilities, multinational service providers and overseas trading partners, but decried the lack of unity of purpose in the face of common challenges and aspirations and agreed in principle to use ISCOS’ platform to enhance their collaboration in the rapidly changing and capital intensive Shipping and Maritime Sector. Ministers also acknowledged the need to rebrand the Organization to better reflect its expanded geographical scope and evolving mandate.

A total of 22 countries from the Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa are signatory  to a shared commitment to cooperate under the framework of the Maritime Organization for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA).

This growing alignment reflects a clear recognition that Africa’s interconnected subregions—linked through the Western Indian Ocean, the South Atlantic, and the Red Sea—face complex and multifaceted maritime challenges that require coordinated and coherent regional responses. The MOESNA Collaboration Framework therefore arises from both necessity and political will: the urgent need to address longstanding gaps in maritime development, and the shared resolve of Member States to pursue collective, forward-looking solutions.

Under this framework, Member States have committed to strengthening cooperation through knowledge sharing, pooling of expertise and resources, and leveraging their respective comparative advantages in pursuit of a unified maritime agenda.

Through this collaboration, Member States are deepening strategic partnerships to enhance maritime governance, improve shipping and trade facilitation, build institutional and technical capacity, and unlock the vast economic potential of the region’s maritime domain.