By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has met with Professor Pauli Gunter to discuss possibilities in Nigeria’s Blue Economy.
Prof Pauli Gunter, who is a Belgian is an entrepreneur and economist, best known for his main work, The Blue Economy. He is a resident of Japan since 1994 and spends most of his time in South Africa.
He created models of the Blue Economy, which is now a global concept and has worked with many countries to draw policies for their blue economies.
This meeting, which took place at Abuja during the weekend, was a follow up to an earlier session between the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola with Pauli, where the need for the NIMASA DG to meet with experts in the sector was highlighted.
Jamoh noted that having Pauli interface with stakeholders of the new ministry will help develop viable policies for the smooth operations of the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry.
He said: “I had the opportunity to meet the man that formulated the global policies around Blue Economy, and we have discussed various ways to harness the resources in the Nigerian waters in a sustainable manner.
“He has expressed his willingness to work with the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to formulate policies that will help Nigerians begin to enjoy the gains of the establishment of the Ministry.”
On his part, Pauli expressed his willingness to assist the Nigerian Government to develop policies around Blue Economy for the good of Nigerians.