A dinner and awards to honour outstanding stakeholders for their past efforts and encourage further investments and commitments to harnessing the abundant potentials of the nation’s blue economy is being planned by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) later this month.
Ahead of the event scheduled for January 18, the NIMASA Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said the event aims to keep industry players focused on global best practices in their various activities, attract more investors that will help open up the blue economy and ensure compliance with maritime regulations.
Categories will include Most Compliant ISPS Offshore and Onshore Facility, Best Terminal and Jetty Operator, Best Maritime Training Institution, Best Shipping Company (Marine Environment Management), Overall Best Shipping Company, Best Cabotage Operator, Company with Largest Combined Tonnage, and Best Maritime Financing Bank, among other categories.
“Over the years, our stakeholders have made us proud and put us on our toes, as there will be no NIMASA without the shipping community and vice versa,” a statement from the NIMASA Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, quoted Peterside to say.
“There have been times of criticisms, sanctions and enforcement; these were geared towards ensuring the right thing is done and laid-down rules and regulations adhered to. We must therefore reward hard work and encourage more investments in the maritime sector by appreciating those who have done well.”
According to Peterside, the event will also expose local and international stakeholders to the huge opportunities in the nation’s maritime sector. For transparency in the selection process, NIMASA had earlier inaugurated an independent panel of judges, headed by a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Adebayo Sarumi.
Its mandate included to identify the various awards for the industry, set criteria and benchmark for the selection process, invite applications from industry stakeholders and the general public, and finalise the list of awardees in the different categories for submission to the agency.
