The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, says that the agency is repositioning Nigerian youths for the development and growth of the country’s Blue Economy.
Delivering the keynote address at the 10th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) Lecture at the University of Lagos, Dr. Mobereola, said that Nigeria’s ambition to become Africa’s Blue Giant would be driven by the younger generation.
Represented by Nneka Obianyor, the Director, Reforms Coordination and Blue Economy in NIMASA, Dr, Mobereola said that Nigerian youths, would therefore, remain at the heart of the country’s Marine and Blue Economy Policy.
According to the NIMASA boss, Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, had mandated NIMASA to equip young Nigerians with the skills and opportunities to drive the sector.
He also noted that President Tinubu’s Blue Economy Agenda is central to economic diversification and highlighted key youth-centric initiatives of NIMASA to include the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), the newly introduced Blue Economy Accelerator Initiative, skills acquisition centres located in the six-geopolitical zones and the establishment of Institute of Maritime Studies in some Nigerian universities.
Mobereola described these initiatives as strategic interventions to build capacity, create jobs, and encourage innovation among young Nigerians.
The NIMASA boss engaged doctoral and master’s students from the University of Lagos in an interactive knowledge-sharing session, led by the Director of Cabotage Services, Gloria Anyasodo.
According to the statement by the Agency, the session featured presentations on shipping development, maritime logistics, Cabotage implementation and maritime labour regulation.
The engagement underscored the value of stronger collaboration between academia and the maritime industry to advance research, build capacity, and develop practical solutions to the evolving challenges of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
GIK/APA