19 April 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos – President Muhammadu Buhari is expected later this month to address a body of African maritime leaders under the aegis of the Association of African Maritime Administration, AAMA.
The maritime leaders will be meeting in Abuja on April 20 to brainstorm on ways through which Africa could maximise the economic benefits of its exposure to the oceans.
The meeting, which is part of the third edition of AAMA conference being hosted by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, in conjunction with the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, will attract 32 African countries, as well as other maritime countries across the globe, with representatives from IMO and major operators of shipping lines.
President Buhari, who had earlier approved the participation of Nigeria through NIMASA in the IMO Council election coming up later in the year, will also address the conference on policy directions of his administration as it concerns the maritime industry.
He will also unveil the new NIMASA brand during the three-day event.
The AAMA conference will also feature notable speakers like the Secretary General of IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim and Chief Executive Officer of South African Maritime and Safety Agency, SAMSA, Sobaitu Tilayi. Representatives of the Malaysian Maritime Authority and the European Maritime Association, among others, will also speak at the event.
On the sidelines of the conference, the NIMASA management will also hold strategic sessions to garner support for Nigeria’s bid for category “C” seat on the council of IMO.
The council is the highest decision making body of the IMO and Nigeria’s participation will further add value to the economy through participation in critical decision making sessions on global maritime affairs.
Nigeria controls the highest cargo throughput in the West and Central African regions with over 200 million metric tonnes of cargo annually and more than 6,000 ocean going vessels calling at her ports yearly.
It would be recalled that the Association of African Maritime Administrations was formed following the signing of the African Transport and Maritime Charter in 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
