NIMASA’s Commitment to Maritime Capacity Building Unwavering – Peterside

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Monday, May 30th, 2016

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

LAGOS, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has again reiterated its commitment to the development of maritime capacity for the growth of the Nation’s maritime sector.

Its Director General (DG), Dr. Dakuku Peterside said this while presenting a paper on “NIMASA’s Efforts Towards Human Capacity Development in the Maritime Industry” at a sensitization forum organized to engender students’ interest in shipping in Lagos recently.

Dr. Peterside who was represented at the event by the Agency’s Director of Maritime Labour Services Mrs. Juliana Gunwa explained that the Act setting up NIMASA specifically highlighted the functions of the Agency to include human capacity building which is evident in the successes recorded in the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

According to him, the NSDP was specially designed to stimulate youths to pick up careers at sea as a result of the ageing corps of Nigerian seafarers.

He charged youths to take a keener interest in the opportunities in the maritime industry emphasizing that the sector provides great prospects for employment generation and wealth creation.

Dr. Peterside also called on relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the Agency by putting these young NSDP cadets on board their vessels in order to gain the requisite sea time.

“The NSDP was initiated to arrest the dearth of trained seafarers in the Nigerian Maritime Sector which arose from the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL). The indigenous ship owners also have to play their role to support the Agency’s drive to build human capacity”, the DG said.

President of the Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Engr. Greg Ogbeifun in his speech at the event commended the management of NIMASA led by the Dr. Peterside, saying the DG has made the Agency more vibrant.

He praised the Agency’s painstaking commitment in encouraging youths who are the future of the Nigerian maritime industry.

The one day programme which was organised by Platform Communications tagged “The Youths and the Future of Nigeria’s Maritime industry” to commemorate the Children’s Day celebration is aimed at exposing the youths to the opportunities available in the maritime industry.