By John Ndegwa / BMA
Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA) today hosted a delegation from Ukraine led by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Kenya, H.E. Tokar Yurii, in a meeting aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in maritime education and training.
The discussions centered on key areas of partnership, including academic collaboration, joint research initiatives, curriculum development and human resource exchange programmes.
The engagement reflects BMA’s continued commitment to building global partnerships that enhance the quality and relevance of maritime training in Kenya.
BMA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Eric Katana, emphasized the Academy’s interest in curriculum collaboration and structured career progression for cadets. He highlighted the importance of developing clear training pathways to support cadets in advancing to professional ranks such as Chief Engineer and Master Mariner.
On his part, Ambassador Tokar Yurii expressed Ukraine’s keen interest in fostering cooperation with Bandari Maritime Academy across various areas of mutual benefit, noting the potential for knowledge exchange and capacity building between the two nations.
Senior Deputy Director for Maritime Transport and Port Operations, Enock Okemwa, underscored the need to formalize the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), particularly focusing on the mutual recognition of Certificates of Competency (CoC) for Kenyan seafarers an important step in enhancing global employability.
The Ukrainian delegation was also taken on a guided tour of the Academy’s training facilities by Senior Principal Nautical Science Trainer, Maj. (Rtd) Franklyn Toniok, providing firsthand insight into BMA’s training capacity and infrastructure.
Also present during the meeting were Senior Deputy Director for Corporate Services Evans Oyieyo, Head of Supply Chain Samson Chira, Legal Officer Loy Lisa and Senior Partnerships and Business Development Officer Fatma Mzee.
