NIMASA positions youths as drivers of Nigeria’s blue economy growth

July 30, 2026067

The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola, has reaffirmed that Nigerian youths are central to the country’s Marine and Blue Economy agenda, saying the nation’s ambition to become Africa’s leading blue economy hub will be driven by the younger generation.

Mobereola made the declaration in a keynote address delivered at the 10th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) Lecture held at the University of Lagos.

Represented by the Director of Reforms Coordination and Blue Economy, Mrs Nneka Obianyor, the NIMASA boss commended SIFAX Group for sustaining the annual maritime lecture initiative for the past 10 years.

L-R: Director, Cabotage, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA; Ms. Gloria Anyasodo, President, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA), Dr. Segun Obayendo; Dr. Olayinka Agunloye; and Deputy Director, Maritime Guard Command, NIMASA; Dr. Chizoba Anika, during a study visit of the University of Lagos Business School to NIMASA.

He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Blue Economy Agenda remains a key pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification strategy, adding that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has directed the agency to equip young Nigerians with the skills and opportunities needed to drive growth in the sector.

According to him, NIMASA has launched several youth-focused initiatives aimed at building capacity and creating employment opportunities in the maritime industry.

The initiatives include the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), the newly introduced Blue Economy Accelerator Initiative, skills acquisition centres across the six geopolitical zones, and the establishment of Institutes of Maritime Studies in selected Nigerian universities.

Director, Reforms Coordination and Blue Economy, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and Representative of DG NIMASA, Mrs. Nneka Obianyor (3rd from left) and some participants in a photograph at the 10th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) Lecture at the University of Lagos.

Mobereola described the programmes as strategic interventions designed to develop a skilled workforce, stimulate innovation, and enhance youth participation in the maritime and blue economy sectors.

As part of the event, NIMASA also engaged doctoral and master’s students of the University of Lagos in an interactive knowledge-sharing session led by the Director of Cabotage Services, Ms Gloria Anyasodo.

The session featured presentations on shipping development, maritime logistics, Cabotage implementation, and maritime labour regulation.

Group photograph of NIMASA staff and University of Lagos Business School, during a study visit by the University of Lagos Business School to NIMASA.

NIMASA said the engagement highlighted the importance of stronger collaboration between academia and the maritime industry to promote research, strengthen capacity development, and provide practical solutions to the evolving challenges facing Nigeria’s maritime sector.