The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, has described the country’s maritime sector as one of the fastest growing on the African continent.
Jamoh said this during the interactive session by the Senate Committee on Marine Transport with the Chief Executive Officers of Agencies of Government in the maritime sector on Monday in Lagos.
He noted that the agency had embraced collaboration and peer review exercises with other Maritime Administrations (MARANs) on the African continent and globally.
“We regularly undertake peer review exercises amongst maritime administrations not just on the African continent, but also globally.
“We have learnt a lot from reviews with the South African Maritime Administration and the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore.
“We have also provided mentorship for maritime administrations on the African continent.
“Countries like Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana amongst others have come for mentorship on various issues such as Port and Flag State Administration and the SPOMO Act,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Sen. Wasiu Eshinlokun, said the interactive session was to ensure that the legislature and the implementing organs of government were on the same page.
He noted that this was to ensure Nigerians enjoy benefits accruable from the blue economy.
“With the determination and commitment of the Federal Government under the able leadership of President Bola Tinubu towards reviving the economy, I believe that better days are ahead and the current difficulty will surely come to pass.
“It is in this regard that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was created with the mandate of coordinating and supervising the activities and operations in the maritime sector.
“The creation of the ministry is borne out of the enormous opportunities that are in the marine and blue economy and the desire to fully harness them,” Chairman said.
On his part, the Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, Commodore Duja Effedua, during his presentation acknowledged the role NIMASA played in transforming the academy to be one of the best globally.
“Today, MAN Oron has the state of the art equipment in training seafarers comparable to the best globally, and NIMASA’S commitment to funding the academy played a major role in the achievements recorded in the academy,” Effedua said.
The Senate Committee on Marine Transport is in Lagos as part of their oversight functions, to receive briefings from the parastatals under the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy Ministry.
They are NIMASA, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the National Inland Waterways Authority.
Others are Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria and the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron. (NAN)
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