In realizing uttermost of the Blue Economy in Nigeria, Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr Bashir Jamoh, has said the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) has a censorious role to play for Nigeria to achieve its potential.
Jamoh made this assertion last week in Lagos at a seminar organised by the NIIA.
The seminar had as theme “Safety, Security and Development in Nigeria’s Maritime Domain: Problems, Strategies and Prospects”.
While delivering a paper titled “Opportunities and Challenges” the DG disclosed that collaboration amongst all organs of government in the country and the organised private sector will accelerate harnessing of the Blue Economy in Nigeria citing the successes of the Deep Blue Project which is hinged on collaboration.
Jamoh stated that the task of NIMASA is to explore how Nigeria can maximize the benefits derivable from our Blue Economy adding that the concept of Blue Economy which gained prominence some few years ago requires local, regional and international collaboration to manage critical factors.
“The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs should play a role in advising government on policies which would facilitate the realization of the Blue Economy,” he stated.
In keynote speech, the Director-General of the NIIA, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, admitted that the progress made in securing the Nigerian Maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea having highlighted the importance of the Blue Economy globally while calling for sustainable use of ocean resources to be considered when shaping government policies.
“When considered in economic terms, the global Blue Economy would be the seventh largest in the world which highlights its importance. As such, sustainable use of the Blue Economy for economic growth should be at the core of any policy formulation by government,” he added.