NIMASA partners TETFUND to develop manpower for maritime sector

Worried by the existing manpower supply gap in the nation’s shipping sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commenced arrangement to enter into partnership with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), so as to utilise the fund in the development of manpower needs of the sector.

Dakuku Peterside, the director general of the Agency, who said this recently in Abuja while having meeting with the agency’s critical stakeholders including the vice chancellors of the six Nigerian Universities, where the NIMASA sponsored Institutes of Maritime studies are domiciled. The universities include the University of Lagos; Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State; Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State; Federal University Kashere, Gombe State and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The NIMASA DG restated the Agency’s commitment towards growing capacity in the maritime sector and emphasised the need for Nigerian Universities to include maritime related courses in their curriculum. This, he observed will help to expand the job potentials of Nigerian youths, and grow the economy given the fact that maritime is a global business with vast opportunities for job and wealth creation.

While stating that a virile maritime trade is an economic asset to any nation, Peterside further urged the institutes to continuously improve on their maritime curriculum to be able to train professional seamen that can control the nation’s shipping business in the near future.

To him, it would not be out of place for TETFUND to partner with NIMASA or intervene where necessary in funding the educational projects of NIMASA, as the agency cannot fund the projects alone given the economic situation in the country. He also called on public and private organisations to partner with the Agency in ensuring adequate funding of the institutes.

“More than ever, we are open to partnership in order to ensure that our maritime sector continues to thrive and to impact positively on the Nigerian economy in the long run.”

Reacting to this, Abdulahi Bichi Baffa, the executive secretary of TETFUND, who commended NIMASA for the robust and brilliant initiative in establishing the Institutes of Maritime studies in six universities, also assured the agency that TETFUND will look into areas of possible intervention.

Recall that NIMASA established Maritime Institutes in Six (6) Nigerian Universities with the expectations that the Institutes will help grow the needed technical manpower which were hitherto only obtainable from institutes outside the country.

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie