Advocates collaboration, synergy as solution
Stories by Godfrey Bivbere
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, identified illegal fish poaching, marine pollution and piracy/insecurity as major hindrances to the development of maritime industry in the continent, calling on maritime administrators to collaborate and synergize in order to tackle the problems.
Buhari spoke at the opening ceremony of the third conference of the Association of African Maritime Administration, AAMA, in Abuja. The President who was represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, stressed the need for the various maritime administrators to work at harnessing the human capacity to ensure employment for youths in the continent.
He said, “Several other initiatives demonstrate the critical importance in food and environmental uncertainty and clearly the enormous untapped potentials for the making of a strong self reliant African economy are embedded in the blue economy. It is a task for you leaders of the sector to guide us on this crucial voyage. The challenges are many but not insurmountable. As things stand, African fishing grounds are being pillaged, its waters polluted, and piracy is heightening maritime insecurity and causing increases in the cost of maritime insurance and trade. At the same time, the regulatory and legal frameworks to properly manage maritime resources and overcome these challenges are still inadequate. Similarly, we are yet to fully develop the human and institutional capacities required to respond appropriately to these challenges.
“The good news is that we are on the right path – collaborations and synergy. Our countries have to continue to develop the maritime sector, beginning from the national level, regional and sub regional level. Here in Nigeria, we have taken steps to tackle some of the challenges peculiar to us while still requiring regional and sub regional collaboration. We have stepped up engagement to address the disagreement, misunderstanding and contentious issues in the Niger Delta, which is a part of the Gulf of Guinea. We recently approved the maritime security architecture and infrastructure to be jointly coordinated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Ministry of Transport and the National Security Adviser’s Office.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi said through the hosting of the event Nigeria wishes to reinstate its commitment to continually contribute to the growth of the maritime sector on the continent of Africa and globally.
His words: “The conference is not merely to appraise the maritime sector of Africa but to tackle the maritime problems being encountered in the continent. It is regrettable that despite Africa’s enormous maritime endowment, we remain susceptible to raft of challenges. These include insignificant share of cargo, low tonnage, piracy, sea robbery, undeclared and unregulated fishing, and environmental degradation; worse still there is no African flagged vessels taking cargoes and our waterways still wallow in servitude. The African human capacity is greatly underdeveloped, leaving us to rely on foreigners to drive our industry. There is also near total absence of trained coast-guard to monitor our maritime domain.”
In his welcome speech, Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, noted that Nigeria is hosting AAMA two years after African leaders, through the African Union subscribed to seven keys aspiration encapsulated in the agenda 2063 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2015 and, three years after the adoption of Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050 concedes on Nigeria a special status.
“Only recently, to further reinforce the critical role maritime can play in the development of Africa, the African Union (AU) special summit of Heads of Government on maritime security, safety and development in Lome, Togo, October 15, 2016 aligned with us. They adopted a Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development aimed at making Africa’s maritime space the key driver of the continents socio-economic development.
“This document was endorsed by 43 out of 54 African nations. The AAMA inspired by African Union maritime transport charter provides us, as stakeholders in e maritime sector, a platform to give effect to the various charters adopted by our heads of government whether AIM 2050, Agenda 2063 or Lome charter,” he stated.
The post Buhari lists hindrances to Africa’s maritime development appeared first on Vanguard News.
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