NIMASA explains why it partnered IMO to develop National Maritime Transport Policy

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has given reasons why it partnered the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) last week, to commence the process of drafting a new legal framework called the National Maritime Transport Policy to serve as a coordinated action plan for enabling the country’s realise its potential.

Dakuku Peterside, the director general of the NIMASA said at the just concluded 3-day workshop organised by the NIMASA in partnership with the IMO in Lagos to guide NIMASA on how to draft Maritime Transport Policy of International standards, that though Nigeria has a National Transport Policy and Maritime Security Policy, that it is surprising that Nigeria does not have a National Maritime Transport Policy.

According to him, a well articulated maritime transport policy will not only enable Nigeria to realise its potential in the maritime sector but would define the overall objectives of the maritime sector as well as the strategies for achieving the objectives.

“We want a stakeholder driven policy that is why we sorted for the assistance of IMO together with experts from World Maritime University (WMU). It is the stakeholders and professionals that have the right to articulate the policy because NIMASA alone cannot sit down to generate a maritime transport policy without the right theoretical background”; he said.

He explained that the professionals from WMU would be developing a module for drafting a maritime transport policy for nations of the world with particular emphasis to developing nations like Nigeria.

The NIMASA boss, who said that Nigeria has started the process of transforming its transport sector to the next level, noted that the nation must do everything that is needed to be done for Nigeria to have a maritime transport policy that addresses her needs, stand the taste of time and meet the best standards globally.

“We want to make effective use of the intermodal transport system such that almost all our ports will be connected to the rail to the hinterland while the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is ever ready to revive the nation’s inland waterways, all of these needs to be integrated into one policy called the National Transport policy to ensure that we maximise benefits.”

William Azu, representative from the IMO, who said that a sustainable maritime transport system should reflect and balance the interest of all stakeholders, also said that this can only be achieved by a carefully drafted and executed maritime transport Policy.

“This is crucial in serving as a fundamental guiding document to providing a long term sustainable vision for the future of the maritime sector. National Maritime Transport Policy is also complementary to the concept of blue or ocean economy. This means that we are moving from farming on land to farming at sea, which is closely associated with the maritime industry 2030 sustainable development goals as each administration is encouraged to begin to look critically to the 2030 agenda.”

Although, he pointed, the National Maritime Transport Policy should be viewed as a distinct of the national ocean policy it should be complementary to a country’s gross strategic economic and social objectives of development in line with global standards as well as regional policies and strategies.

Recognising the importance of a national maritime transport policy, he said that a coordinated and integrated approach to maritime transport would in turn benefit a country’s economic infrastructure. IMO in collaboration with WMU is assisting member nations to develop such policies to complement existing policies and make them dynamic.”

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie