The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, has described Nigeria’s maritime industry as one of the fastest growing on the African continent.
Dr Jamoh, who stated this during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Marine Transport noted that the Agency has embraced collaboration and peer review exercises with other MARADs on the African continent and globally.
A statement by Assistant Director, Public Relations, NIMASA, Osagie Edward, quoted the NIMASA DG as saying that “We regularly undertake peer review exercises amongst maritime Administrations not just on the African continent, but globally. We have learnt a lot from reviews with the South African Maritime Administration SAMSA, and Maritime Port Authority of Singapore MPA. 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.
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.
Speaking earlier, Chairman Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun noted that the interactive session is to ensure that the legislature and the implementing organs of government are on the same page to ensure Nigerians enjoy benefits accruable from the blue economy.
“With the determination and commitment of the Federal Government under the able leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed 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 born out of the enormous opportunities that are in the marine and blue economy and the desire to fully harness them”, Eshinlokun said.
