By Toju Vincent

THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on Tuesday, said  it is targeting to train over 5,000 seafarers in another ten (10) years following the dimension the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) has taken.

Disclosing to Vanguard at the send forth party to send another 191 young Nigerian cadets to the Arab Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria Egypt, NIMASA’s Director General Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi stated that a few thousands of young Nigerians would have completely gone through the training in the ten years as this would further boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Akpobolokemi said that the agency is making a huge budget for the sea time training aspect of the programme adding that the package is a complete one that will not leave this category of Nigerians ill-equipped for the future. The agency boss also explained that the government is developing maritime institutions along side the NSDP project.

“At the pace we are going, all things being equal, a few thousands of Nigerians would have been trained at the end of the decade” he added. Speaking in similar vein, the coordinator of the National Seafarers Development Programme, Mrs Irene Macfoy also told Vanguard that over a thousand cadets have been sent abroad for the training adding that some are billed to be going to the Philippines and other parts of the world.

Macfoy explained that the move to embark on this project so as to fill the expected 250,000 vacancies in the seafaring profession by the years 2025, a development being projected by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). She stated that at the end of the decade, plus, minus, about 5,000 Nigerians would have gone through the entire gamut of the programme. The NSDP coordinator stated that the government through the agency started this project in 2009 with a view to bridging the projected employment gap in the seafaring profession.

“You are aware of the liquidation of the Nigerian National Shipping Line and ever since then there has been a dearth in the human capacity in the maritime sector. NIMASA being the apex maritime regulating agency had to take the bull by the horn by finding a way of filling that vacuum and this was how the National Seafarers Developing Programme was conceived”.  The NSDP was initiated in 2009 by the then Director General Dr. Ade Dosunmu .

Lagos Govt urged to create clusters for industrialists

The Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) has called on Lagos State Government to create industrial clusters for manufacturers. Chief Duro Kuteyi, the Vice President of the association in the South West, made the appeal in Lagos. Kuteyi said that industrialists needed clusters to enable them access funds and be of assistance to each other.

“Lack of funds is not the only problem of small business owners. There is the need to have industrial clusters that will enable them utilise machinery and tools without purchasing more. We desire the assistance of the government in the development of industrial clusters to lessen the hindrances in accessing funds. For instance, there are people who own bakeries and use their machines only twice in a day, while the number of hours the machine is left alone is wasted,” he said.

Mr Segun Kuti-George, the Chairman, Lagos Chapter of NASSI, said that NASSI members were already preparing to establish a cluster. Kuti-George urged small scale businessmen to enroll for trainings on financial reporting, writing of proposals, among others.