Director, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Barr. (Mrs.) Monica Nkechi Mbanefo is a Director with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), where she has shown herself as an able ad worthy Nigerian Ambassador. As a lawyer of repute, she had headed the legal office of the Conference Division of IMO.

She began her sojourn into the maritime industry in 1984 when she became the Legal Adviser and Head, Legal Department of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Aviation. Before her appointment she had served on the board of the now defunct National Maritime Authority (NMA). She has a proven track record of an understanding of maritime matters which prompted her inclusion to the Nigeria Delegate 3 Legal Committee Meetings of the IMO from 1984-89.

In 1987 Mbanefo was drafted as the Project Coordinator to oversee the review of the Nigerian Maritime Legislation. In addition, she represented the NMA as an expert on the Nigerian Shipping Policy in Brazil and United States of America between 1988 and 1990. Mbanefo was a member of the Nigeria Delegation to all the meetings of the intergovernmental group of experts of IMO and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 1988 and 1989.

One of the principal achievements of the Mbanefo led delegation and UNCTAD was the conception and implementation of special tariff concessions to promote exports of manufactured and some agricultural goods from developing countries. She was also on the Nigerian delegation to all the UNCTAD Committee of Shipping meetings for the period of 1988 to 89, negotiating and contributing to policies formulated to aid development of all aspects of trade, aid, transport and technology for developing countries in general and Nigeria in particular. She is a member of the Association on International Federation of Women Lawyers, the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) and the International Law Association (ILA)

Currently director of the IMO conference division, she worked for the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria from 1973 to 1991, drafting laws and representing Nigeria in various international organizations. In 1991 she was appointed senior deputy director/head of the legal office of IMO. In this capacity she was secretary to the IMO Legal Committee and to several diplomatic conferences which, amongst other things, oversaw the successful adoption of the 1992 CLC and Fund Protocols, the HNS Convention and the Arrest of Ships 1999 Convention. Mbanefo also restructured the Legal Office of IMO to improve its efficiency.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold our Hall of Famer in 2014 Class of MMS Plus’ Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame.