The Director‑General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, called for deeper private‑sector participation in the blue‑economy initiative to harness greater benefits from the maritime industry. Speaking as a guest lecturer at a lunch‑hour series organized by the Academy for Maximum Achievement in Lagos, Jamoh highlighted the many untapped opportunities in the sector. He reassured the audience that the Deep Blue Project—through federal procurement of air, land and water assets for maritime security—has made the industry safer and removed Nigeria from the list of countries with a high incidence of attacks.
Jamoh described the extensive prospects in shipbuilding, ship repair and recycling as areas that can stimulate the economy, create jobs and boost foreign‑exchange earnings for both government and private enterprises. In a statement from NIMASA, he noted that 28 of the 36 states have navigable inland waters rich in resources capable of generating wealth. Under his leadership, NIMASA has intensified sensitisation of state governors about the blue economy and urged them to convey this message to their citizens. He emphasized that Nigeria’s waters, which border five neighboring countries, also support non‑maritime sectors such as agriculture, tourism and trade.
The NIMASA DG listed several sectors with investment openings, including vessel ownership, chandelling, stevedoring, freight forwarding, haulage, fishing, marine biology, marine geology, underwater engineering, ship brokerage, and import‑export activities. He disclosed that NIMASA hopes to revive Nigeria’s revenue stream from legitimate bunkering services—a market the country lost about 20 years ago.
Earlier, Margaret Orakwusi, Leader of the Corporate Think‑Tank Group, described the event as a knowledge‑sharing platform. “The Corporate Think‑Tank was created by the Academy for Maximum Achievement as an interdisciplinary forum to bring together experts and leaders from various fields, stimulate discourse on critical national socio‑economic issues, and galvanize research and expert contributions toward public‑policy support and implementation,” she said.
Chief Executive Officer of ENL Consortium, Vicky Haastrup, commended Jamoh’s achievements as NIMASA DG and stressed that environmental sustainability in port areas deserves urgent government attention. She also called for greater female participation in the maritime industry, noting that women hold only 18 percent of positions in the sector.
Former Chairman of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Dr. Chris Asoluka, praised the policies and actions aimed at a sustainable blue economy in Nigeria. He added that the country needs more concrete action to match the policies on paper in order to fully realise the set goals.
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