On 1 October 1982, the Government of Ghana promulgated the Regional Maritime Law 1982, which was followed by the signing of the instrument of transfer, handing over the college to the then Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States on Maritime Transport, now known as Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, which negotiated for its regionalization. The college was then renamed the Regional Maritime Academy. The formal inauguration of the RMA took place 26 May 1983, with Ghana as a founding member. Regionalization of the academy was for cooperation, particularly with regard to the training of personnel to ensure the sustained growth and development of maritime industries in the sub-region and beyond. The academy in Ghana serves the Anglophone countries while a sister academy in Ivory Coast serves the Francophone countries.
Organization
The Regional Maritime University is an international tertiary institution and private university. The RMU occupies the premises of the old Ghana Nautical College which was established in 1958 to train ratings for the erstwhile State Shipping Corporation. On 1 October 1982, the Government of Ghana promulgated the Regional Maritime Law 1982 which was followed by the signing of the instrument of transfer, handing over the college to the then Ministerial Conference of West and Central African States on Maritime Transport, now known as Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa, which negotiated for its regionalization. The college was then renamed the Regional Maritime Academy. The overall objective for the establishment of RMU was to promote regional co-operation in the maritime industry, focusing on the training to ensure the sustained growth and development of the industry. The RMU is a branch of the World Maritime University, Malmö, Sweden, and an affiliate of the University of Ghana, in Legon. The university has working relations with other universities in the sub-region. The RMA has since December, 2004 been given institutional accreditation by the National Accreditation Board, Ghana.
