Australia and Norway have expressed interest to provide the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with technical support and human capacity development during their separate visits to the headquarters of the agency in Lagos.
The Australian deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Angela Tierney commended the drive for human capacity building within the agency, and further expressed the willingness of her country to assist NIMASA to build the capacity necessary for the growth of the maritime industry.
In an earlier visit, the Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Rolf Ree also stated that his country is ready to provide technical support to NIMASA towards realising the full potentials of the Nigerian maritime industry.
Receiving the Australian High Commissioner and the Norwegian Ambassador separately, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi said that the Agency would appreciate partnership with major maritime nations such as Australia and Norway particularly in the area of capacity building.
In his words “Australia is a nation that enjoys high respect among the comity of maritime nations and partnership with your country will surely help us realize the potentials of building a competent workforce that is poised to take the Nigerian maritime sector to greater heights,” he said.
While meeting with the Norwegian Ambassador, the DG noted with delight “the support so far given the Agency by your country has been of immense benefit to the maritime sector locally”. He urged them not to relent in their support, as their contribution will help to develop the potentials of maritime nations like Nigeria.
The DG assured the Envoys of an improvement in observing Nigeria’s maritime domain in real time using a satellite surveillance system that covers the whole of Nigeria’s coast and the Gulf of Guinea. This progress, he said, should attract more commercial activity from around the world.
