Peterside told the News Agency of Nigeria in
Abuja that if the potentials of the sector were optimised, they would lead to
the growth of the economy
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said the agency was
positioned to contribute substantially to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Peterside told the News Agency of Nigeria in
Abuja that if the potentials of the sector were optimised, they would lead to
the growth of the economy.
He said: “We are looking at the entire gamut
of mix that is necessary to unleash our potential in the industry
“All I can say is that going forward,
maritime is positioned to contribute substantially to our GDP and by extension
the growth of our economy.”
Peterside said that many countries had
optimised advantages of their maritime sub-sector to grow their GDP and it had
yielded results and urged Nigeria to replicate same.
He said: “If you look at the economy of the
Philippians, seafarers contribute more than 11 per cent to their GDP.
“If you look at Bangladesh, it is called the
graveyard of ships, in terms of ship breaking, ship recycling, that small
sector in the maritime industry contributes substantially to their economy.
“Now if you look at India, again seafarers
contribute substantially to the economy of India.
“If you look at Korea, ship building
contributes to the economy of Korea.
“If you look at China, the officer cadre that
boards vessel or that ply vessels or that mounts vessels everywhere in the
world, most of them are Chinese.
“If you look at Singapore, by simply being a
trans-shipment hub, it is the mainstay of the economy of Singapore.
“Singapore has a population of four million
persons; they have got only one port that can receive 1,000 ships at a time,
coming at a time; there is no port like that in Nigeria.
“So if you look at all these countries, they
have optimised advantage of one sub-sector or the other in the maritime sector.
“Why can’t we replicate same in Nigeria?”
Peterside said Nigeria had population, agile
and talented young men and women, adding: “We could export around the world and
earn as much as they earn from Philippians.
“We have the advantage of location; if you
notice, Nigeria is midway between Central Africa and the rest of West Africa.
“We are also a gateway to many land locked
countries: Chad, Niger and other land locked countries, so we could also serve
as a gateway to landlocked countries.
“We are exploring that to serve as a
trans-shipment hub for the whole of West and Central Africa as well as land
locked neighbours.
“So we are looking at building professional
capacity in terms of personnel with human element in shipping; we are looking
at serving as trans-shipment hub by reason of the advantage of location.”
Peterside said the government intends to look
into the exportation and importation of vessels to ensure its optimal usage in
the country.
Source:
the
eagle online.
No comments:
Post a Comment