Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Bank of Industry (BoI) are exploring collaborative efforts to drive growth in the industry.
This follows a recent high-level meeting between the leadership of both entities aimed at creating strategies for capacity building, which is seen as essential to the long-term development of the maritime sector.
During a visit by the BoI’s management team, led by the Executive Director of Large Enterprises, Mrs. Ifeoma Uz’Okpala, NIMASA’s Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Jibril Abba, representing the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, emphasized the agency’s focus on enhancing safety, security, and maritime labor.
He highlighted that capacity development is a crucial part of the agency’s mandate, and collaboration is key to achieving these goals.
“Our focus is to actualize the Federal Government’s vision of repositioning the maritime sector, especially with the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy,” Abba stated.
Mrs. Uz’Okpala reiterated BoI’s commitment to supporting NIMASA’s efforts, underlining the importance of collaborative initiatives for building a stronger maritime sector. She noted that such partnerships would contribute to Nigeria’s broader economic growth.
As Nigeria’s largest development finance institution, BoI is well-positioned to drive investment in maritime capacity, being primarily owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated and the Central Bank of Nigeria.