The director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has tasked the Federal Government to concentrate on the non-oil sectors to grow the national economy.
Speaking during the NIMASA Day at the ongoing 16th Abuja International Trade Fair over the weekend, he said the oil sector does not add value to the GDP because it only contributes less than 10 per cent to it while the non-oil sector contributes more.
Represented by the deputy director, shipping promotion, Dr. Momoh Alhassan, he said the nation needed to diversify her economy from oil to more gainful sectors like agriculture and others.
“Despite the negative effects of COVID-19 on many sectors, the maritime sector was unaffected because we operate the ‘blue’ economy,” he noted.
Jamoh lauded the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for the annual trade fair, adding that the 2021 edition improved greatly compared to those of previous years.
In his remarks, the ACCI president, Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, said NIMASA, as an agency of government, is critical to the overall growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sub-sector.
“This gathering provides a veritable platform for the agency to educate the business public about its activities and accomplishments.
“I must, however, note that NIMASA has a top role to play in the Nigerian ‘blue’ economy, a term that is increasingly becoming popular as a description of the totality of the mmaritime economy,” he said.
Represented by the ACCI vice-president, communication strategy and external relations, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, Abubakar also said evolving events and developments in the sector confirmed that the ‘blue’ economy remained a huge alternative under the diversification drive of the Federal Government, adding the good thing is that NIMASA has placed Nigeria on a pedestal to tap into the potentials of a ‘blue’ economy, just as he called for active collaboration with NIMASA for the joint hosting of the annual ‘blue’ economy conference.
