Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi

Maritime stakeholders in Nigeria today, July 1, 2024 converged at the main bowel of the J.F.Ade Ajayi Hall of the University of Lagos, Akoka for the 6th edition of the Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime Conference TAAM, organised by the Maritime Forum of the University and sponsored by the SIFAX Group. The theme of the event is: ‘A Blueprint for Sustainable Shipping: The Significance of the Ministry of Maritime and Blue Economy’.

Principal Partner, Akabogu Law, a maritime law firm, Dr. Emeka Akabogu, who delivered the Keynote presentation entitled: ‘A Blueprint for Sustainable Shipping: The Significance of the Ministry of Maritime and Blue Economy’, noted that the theme of this year’s conference is not only timely but also crucial, especially as Nigeria navigates the evolving dynamics of the global, regional and sub-regional maritime industry.

He also observed that sustainable shipping remains the backbone of a resilient thriving economy, as it encompasses practices that ensure that the long-term health of the oceans while meeting the economic and logistical demands of global trade.

These practices consist in holistic approach to shipping that ensures the activities involved do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs and the needs of their era.

This also involves ethical conduct that speaks to the ethical standards set for the industry stakeholders that are aimed at balancing economic growth, environmental stewardship and social responsibility, which in simple terms entails optimal exploitation or execution of shipping and allied activities in a way that the coming generations would have a shipping sector that they themselves can further exploit (Legacy).

According to him, it also entails a self-evolving system of laws, regulations and practices that are not only relevant per time, but also intrinsically of sustainability (self-replicating).

He categorised activities in Nigeria’s shipping industry into five major categories to include ship operations, which involve navigation, cargo handling, on board vessel maintenance, safety and security and port operations, which involve cargo and passenger handling, Customs clearance and bunkering.

Others include allied services such as logistics and freight forwarding, Maritime insurance. Maritime law, which address legal issues related shipping contracts, accidents and disputes while shipbuilding and repair cover construction of ships, designs, materials procurement, fabrication and sub-assemblies and units, which include surface preparation, painting, outfitting, testing and delivery.

He listed the last layer of shipping activities, which come under regulation including that the International Maritime Organisation IMO and other Multilateral conventions and regulations at the global level and other local regulations that come under the NIMASA, NPA, NSC and NIWA Acts.

For the Blue Economy, he divided that the industry into two segments, comprising the traditional Blue Economy, which covers the ships, the ports and service while the non-traditional Blue Economy cover aquaculture, tourism, real estate, telecommunications, energy and natural resources and other non-ship transport.

As a strategy, he noted that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy would need to evolve a clear-cut legal framework as well as a clear-cut supervisory architecture, arguing that a multiple and cross-cutting legal and supervisory framework might bring about the risk of complicated and sub-optimal policy formulation.

As a blueprint, he listed four guiding lights for the new ministry, which include integrating the environment, society and economy in that economic growth should not come at the expense of environmental degradation or social inequality and inter-generational equity, which speaks to responsible use of resources and preservation of the environment for future inhabitants.

Other two guiding lights for the ministry, according to him, include pollution prevention, which speaks to minimising pollution of the air, water and land, which speak to involving the use of cleaner technologies, responsible management and stricter regulations while the 4th guiding lights speaker to conserving both the resources and bio-diversity.

He listed the opportunities in the Marine and Blue Economy, which include the fact that 28 out of the country’s 36 states can be linked by water, while 17 out of the 28 states have navigable waterways as well as 15 navigable inland rivers and water bodies.

These according to him, speak to the urgent need to develop inland water transport, map and chart the river and water bodies, dredging the water channels, providing incentives for investors and creating awareness for the public.

He also made a strong case for the utilisation of the river ports to decongest the traditional seaports, reverse environmental degradation, open up the hinterlands and by so doing, increase revenue generation for the government and create jobs for the country’s teeming youth population.