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 (MINCONMAR), now known as Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), which negotiated for its regionalization. The college was then renamed the Regional Maritime Academy (RMA). 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 (L'Académie Régionale des Sciences et Techniques de la Mer – ARSTM) serves the
Francophone countries. ==Organization==