Director General, NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh (3rd right) Director OCHA from the Port of Antwerp Belgium, Ms. Ann Baats; Executive Director Finance & Admin, NIMASA Mr. Chudi Offodile (4th left); Managing Director Starz Marine and Engineering LTD. Engr. Greg Ogbeifun; Mr. Philippe Droesbeke of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); Executive Director, Maritime and Cabotage Services NIMASA, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei and Executive Director Operations NIMASA, Mr. Shehu Ahmed during the visit by the Greg Ogbeifun Institute of Maritime Technology and its partners APEC/OCHA from the Port of Antwerp to the agency’s headquarters in Lagos, Wednesday.

As part of measures to conserve the nation’s scarce foreign exchange eeded in training young Nigerians abroad, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh has assured that the agency is committed to domesticating her human capacity development programmes.

The agency has also urged maritime training institutes in the country to update curricular in line with global standards, saying it is planning to adopt the policy of reciprocity in certificate recognition

Dr Jamoh stated this in Lagos, Wednesday when he played host to the management of Greg Ogbeifun Institute of Maritime Technology together with their partners from the Training Center for Blue Collar Port Workers in the Port  of Antwerp Belgium, and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation members. He  also said that NIMASA is working on adopting a reciprocity policy for Recognition of Certificate of Competency and other Certificates to facilitate international trade. 

The NIMASA boss urged the management of the institute to enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with reputable international learning institutes to ensure that the quality of education meets internationally acceptable standards adding that as a new Maritime Institute, the gaps identified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the latest IMSAS report should be given priority and addressed.

“NIMASA has recognised the vast improvement in quality of maritime training in the country and we are looking inwards in our quest to develop human capacity for the Nigerian maritime industry. We are providing the required regulations to ensure that certificates earned from Institutes in Nigeria are recognised globally. When we are satisfied that all requirements have been met, we will then adopt the reciprocity rule in recognition of certificates.

“We will not recognise the certificates issued by Maritime Administrations of non friendly nations whose decisions not to recognise certificates issued in Nigeria are unjustifiable”, he said.

The NIMASA DG also acknowledged the increase in the number of maritime training institutions in the country describing it as a welcome development. According to him “Studies have established over 600,000 human capacity skill gap in the maritime sector. The need for more seafarers and dockworkers in Nigeria is obvious. Training and retraining of manpower is required for a virile maritime industry. We will do everything necessary in terms of regulations to ensure our training facilities meet international standards”.

Dr Jamoh disclosed that the Agency has secured approval of Fiscal incentive of zero percent import duty on brand new vessels adding that the Agency is working on monetary incentive such as the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund which he said NIMASA awaits further directives from the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Greg Ogbeifun Institute of Maritime Technology, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun said the institute is committed to collaborating with existing institutes across the globe. He commended the NIMASA management under the leadership of Dr Jamoh for championing the quest to secure both fiscal and monetary incentives for stakeholders in the maritime industry.

“We at GOMIT are committed to attaining internationally acceptable standards in training dockworkers. Government should provide us with the enabling environment to achieve our goal. We will identify a training need assessment for pool workers. We consider certification as a key component of the training loop”, Engr Ogbeifun said.

Representatives from the Port of Antwerp and officials of the Edo State (Polytechnic Usen) where the Greg Ogbeifun Institute of Maritime Technology is located were also present at the meeting.