NIMASA invests N20bn on manpower devt for shipping industry

Determined to close the manpower gap in the nation’s shipping industry, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it has invested over N20 billion in the last four years covering 2011 till date to train Nigerians in different maritime universities abroad.

The training, which was catered for under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), has benefited over 2,500 Nigerian youths, who were selected from several states of the federation.

The cadets are trained in schools in countries like United Kingdom, Egypt, Malaysia and Philippines in courses like naval architecture, marine engineering, and ship surveyor, among others.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday at the end of the year press briefing organised to review the agency’s performance in 2014, Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi, director-general of NIMASA, who noted that the agency was prompted by the need to produce relevant manpower in Nigeria’s shipping industry so as to create jobs and sustainable development in the economy, assured that NIMASA will not relent in pushing the industry forward.

According to him, the agency, which has the mandate of building capacity for the maritime industry, invested the N20 billion in training professional seafarers under NSDP, covering payment of school fees, accommodation, feeding allowances, travelling expenses, sea time training, among other areas of expenses.
“There is no maritime administration in the world that is investing as much as NIMASA is doing to train manpower for its shipping sector. The agency believes that by training these youths, it will not only help in closing the long gap in shortage of manpower but will also enable Nigerians to take over seafaring from the hands of foreigners.”