The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has said the academia has a major role to play in the development of the Blue Economy in Nigeria.
Jamoh stated this during a courtesy visit by the Management team from the University of Lagos led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola. He said that NIMASA is committed to the development of the Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS) located in UNILAG and urged the UNILAG management to develop and implement a five year action plan to make the Institute of Maritime Studies in the University the epicenter of research for the repositioning of the Blue Economy as the leading contributory sector of the nation’s economy. This he said is due to the vast maritime potentials Nigeria is blessed with.
“In the next four to five years, both NIMASA and UNILAG should be able to boast of important research milestones achieved by the Institute of Maritime Studies leading to recommendations and action plans geared towards the development of Nigeria’s Blue Economy,” said Jamoh.
“Considering the fact that maritime is global by nature, the Institute should also have an international focus with students from other African countries welcomed, in order to broaden the scope of learning and thereby positioning Nigeria as a hub for maritime education as well”.
The NIMASA boss also called for the harmonization of all 16 Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) which the Agency has signed with universities in Nigeria, to serve as a guide for the IMS in UNILAG.
On her part, the UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ogunsola, assured the NIMASA Management of the University’s commitment towards sustaining standards by intentionally changing the narrative of maritime education in Nigeria. While appealing to the Agency to complete the UNILAG-IMS building project, Prof Ogunsola said they “will embrace partnership with local and international parties to ensure UNILAG becomes a formidable force in the Maritime space through developing and grooming the right capacities, driving relevant research, ensuring proper certification, securing industry engagement and facilitating exchange opportunities for students, for global relevance.”
The UNILAG-NIMASA Institute of Maritime Studies building is one of six projects sited across each geopolitical zone of the country by NIMASA to provide suitable manpower requirements for the contemporary maritime industry, through comprehensive theoretical and practical maritime training.