Winifred Oyo-Ita, head of the Civil Service of the Federation, has identified human capacity as an area where Nigeria has a huge comparative advantage in the global maritime community.
According to her, this unique human asset was significant in the effort to sustainably harness the nation’s marine biodiversity.
She spoke in Lagos during the 2019 African Day of Seas and Oceans, organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with the theme, “Harnessing Nigeria’s Marine Biodiversity for Accelerated Economic Growth.”
Represented by Bakare Wadinga, permanent secretary, common services, Office of the Head of the Civil Service, Oyo-Ita commended NIMASA for its initiatives to enhance human capital in the maritime sector and increase the industry’s contribution to national economy.
“Nigeria has enormous potential for economic growth and prosperity, and by enhancing its economy through significant increase in economic activities around fisheries, aqua culture, marine tourism, development of ports and terminals, intra-city water-borne transportation, it would help create jobs, reduce poverty, and diversify her economic base,” she said.
She said Nigeria needs to create awareness on the potentials of the sea and ocean resources in order to catalyse her economic growth. “This will enable us to meet our sustainable development goals, and to conserve sustainably, use the seas and oceans to promote the restoration of our marine ecosystem.”
On his part, Dakuku Peterside, director general of NIMASA, stated that the 2019 celebration provided an opportunity to deliberate on the exploration of the enormous resources in Africa’s seas and oceans.
“Marine biodiversity consists of the different species, their richness and abundance in the world’s oceans and seas. The sustainability of these diverse species, which are abounding in African seas and oceans, is not only important to us as Africans but also of a direct economic benefit to us as a nation,” he said.
He disclosed that NIMASA was working with the different arms of government to formulate and implement relevant policies towards sustainable management of the marine environment.
“NIMASA has concluded and forwarded to the executive arm of government: the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009; the Protocol on Limitation of Liability for maritime Claims (LLMC) and four other IMO instruments on marine environment management, for ratification,” he said.
The African Day of the Seas and Oceans was instituted by the African Union in 2015. It seeks to draw attention to the need for proper management of the marine resources for the development of African continent.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
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