The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is focusing on the full implementation of local content strategies, in order to give a solution to west Africa’s maritime security crisis.
Namely, as Dryad Global reports, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, NIMASA Director-General has repeatedly urged for a Nigerian, home-grown solution to the freight and maritime security issues.
In addition, Momoh Alhassan, NIMASA Head of the Shipping Promotions Unit, has also added that “Nigeria has cargoes and these cargoes should be carried by Nigerians to promote indigenous participation in the maritime space.”
In fact, Dr. Jamoh explained that the National Shipping Policy stipulated that Nigerians should have a right of freight. As he said, the right of freight must be up to 50% of all dry cargo coming from international commercial ventures of local, state and the Federal Governments.
Moreover the policy also stipulated that the agency would decide an efficient strategy for the participation of national carriers in the carriage of crude and petroleum products to and fro Nigeria.
In addition, another policy, the Nigeria Content Development Act of 2010, also aims to ensure that a substantial proportion of activities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry was domiciled within the country.
As for NIMASA, it has been promoting the development of indigenous commercial shipping in the international and coastal shipping trade since 2007.
Under this light, the NIMASA boss highlighted major opportunities tha the maritime industry offers, especially the Blue economy to MSMEs and other interested stakeholders in exploiting vast maritime potentials.
As he explained, if the sector was well harnessed, income would benefit small businesses in local and foreign currency.
