Nigeria to Pedal Maritime to Mainstream

The Nigerian Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has disclosed that the Federal Government  will ensure the maritime sector gets into the mainstream of economic strategy as it will engender economic growth and prosperity.

The Minister said that the Maritime Transport Plan and Strategy when fully completed will also provide a robust enabling framework for achieving Nigerian maritime objective and foster Public, Private sector collaboration and inter-regional cooperation.  

He was delivering keynote speech in Regional Workshop on UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework: A process to mainstream the maritime sector organized by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in conjunction with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Lagos.

“This workshop is an essential step in a continuing shift in strategic thinking about the sustainable development of our nations and will no doubt provide an opportunity for stakeholders here present to develop the much needed cooperation framework in addressing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)”, Amaechi said.          
 
Speaking further, the Minister who was represented by the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside stated that as the African Continent forges ahead with phase II negotiations for the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), the maritime sector remains critical to seamless trade and effective economic integration between African nations.

Accordingly, he said “our approach, therefore, towards the realization of the SDG is contingent on our joint effort and ability to put in place the much needed cooperation framework in collaboration with critical stakeholders using the maritime sector as a veritable tool to promote agricultural development, food security, industrialization and economic transformation of our nations, the region and the entire continent”.    
 
He used the opportunity to commend the IMO, UNECA and NIMASA for putting together the workshop, and expressed optimism that with the level of participation at the workshop, the objectives of developing blueprint and agreeing on a common approach in mainstreaming the maritime sector into the SDG and national plan of states will be achieved.