NIMASA Mentors Ghana, Gambia on SPOMO act, other Maritime Administrations

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Director-General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh said the agency has provided mentorship for maritime administrations to Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana, among others on various issues such as Port and Flag State Administration and the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act.

The DG disclosed this during an interactive session by the Senate Committee on Marine Transport with Chief Executive Officers of agencies of government in the nation’s maritime sector.

Jamoh said the country’s maritime sector is one of the fastest growing on the African continent.

He noted that the agency has embraced collaboration and regular peer review exercises with other maritime administrations on the African continent and globally.

According to him, the agency has learnt a lot from reviews with the South African Maritime Administration (SAMSA) and Maritime Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore.

On his part, the Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, (MAN) Oron, Commodore Emmanuel 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.

Speaking earlier, Chairman Senate Committee on Marine Transport, 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 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,” the Chairman said.