Recognising the enormous foreign currencies that could be mobilized by Nigerians in diaspora for maritime sector growth, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has appealed to them to consider investing in the country’s maritime sector in view of the great potential for return on their investments in the sector.
The agency’s Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who described the sector as the next big thing packed with assets to fuel the growth of the economy, gave this charge during the closing ceremony of the Global African Diaspora Symposium with the theme ‘Building stronger connections between Africa and the Global Diaspora’ held in Abuja.
Jamoh, who was represented at the forum by the agency’s Director, Special Duties, Mr. Isichie Osamgbi, pointed out that the sector remained critical to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth given the untapped opportunities in it.
He said: “The maritime sector is an untapped gold in the country and we see it as the future oil. The assets in the maritime industry – we call it the ‘blue economy’ – are far greater than you can imagine. So we believe it is something worth investing in now. An investment in the maritime sector in Nigeria is considered well invested funds “
In her remarks at the forum, the Director-General, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) – organisers of the symposium, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed appreciation to NIMASA for their support to the programme and urged participants interested in the maritime industry to reach out to the agency for clarification on how best to explore the opportunities in the sector for benefits.
