Kunle Kalejaye 04 July 2016, Sweetcrude, Lagos – The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, is wooing the United States government for collaboration in the area of capacity building.
It is part of efforts by the agency to reposition the nation’s maritime sector through partnerships.
Director General of the agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, made the request for partnership when he received the Consul General of the United States in Lagos, Mr. John Bray, recently at the NIMASA office.
Peterside, who acknowledged the long-standing relationship between Nigeria and the United States, and the existing bilateral agreements between them, said the Nigerian government needed the assistance of the United States government in the area of technology-driven security surveillance as well as human capacity building.
He said the business of shipping is global and having done so well for themselves in this area, Nigeria can benefit from the experiences of the Americans in order to harness the potentials in its maritime domain.
“The need for sharing ideas cannot be overstated, because shipping is a global business that links economies of the world together and Nigeria can learn from the experience of the United States.
“We are currently repositioning the maritime industry and our dream is to be the hub of maritime activities in Africa,” the he said.
The NIMASA boss also used the opportunity to appeal to the United States representative to assist in the area of training and recruiting of the Nigeria Seafarers Development Programme, NSDP, cadets into the US Marine and Navy in order to enhance their competency and skills.
Earlier in his remarks, the Consul General, Mr. Bray, disclosed that they were interested in the status of the co-operation between the two countries and also opportunities available in collaborating together.
While also responding to the Director General’s requests, Mr. Bray expressed the readiness of the United States to leverage on the already existing Memorandum of Understanding between both countries to collaborate with the NIMASA and Nigeria at large towards achieving a vibrant and business friendly maritime environment.
