So says the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, DAKUKU PETERSIDE.
With sixty percent of cargo coming to West and Central Africa ending up in Nigeria and also, having the largest wet cargo in Africa, PETERSIDE said it was obvious that Nigeria should play a leading role in maritime development on the continent.
In an extract of his interaction with newsmen in Pot Harcourt over the weekend, DAKUKU PETERSIDE said Nigeria’s maritime potentials would be further asserted through the hosting of the Third Conference of the Association of Heads of African Maritime Administrations.
The D.G NIMASA disclosed that President MUHAMMADU BUHARI would declare the conference open, as well as witness the unveiling of a new NIMASA brand.
He said thirty-three countries have confirmed participation in the events that would spread across three days in Abuja.
These include representatives from maritime administrations in Norway, Netherlands, Malaysia and Jamaica.
PETERSIDE lamented that Africa currently accounts for just five percent of sea trade globally, whereas the continent generates so much cargo, but there are no African vessels conveying cargo from the continent to the rest of the world.
He noted that African maritime domain is still dominated by foreigners as seafarers, adding that the earlier efforts are made to build African maritime capacity in terms of increasing the number of fleets and seafarers, the better for all Africans.
