Headlines

Why Kenya has been preferred candidate for IMO category C ahead of Nigeria

President Uhuru Kenyatta tours the modern shipyard at the Mtongwe Navy base in Mombasa after commissioning it on December 17, 2021

Eyewitness reporter

Kenya has continued to develop its maritime infrastructure to position itself in the global maritime industry.

This has given the East African country an edge over Nigeria in the International Maritime Organisation(IMO) where it has consistently beaten Nigeria to the category C seat.

In 2019, Nigeria lost the seat by one vote to Kenya.

In the just-concluded 2021 edition of the IMO elections in London, while Nigeria failed in its sixth attempt to clinch the seat, Kenya retained the diadem in the council elections.

What makes Kenya thick in maritime Industry.

The East African country has continued to develop indigenous capacity in shipbuilding and repairs.

Last week, the country unveiled the largest shipyard in sub-Saharan Africa

The modern shipyard was located at the Mtongwe Navy base in Mombasa, making her the first country in sub-Saharan Africa with such a facility.

Kenya Shipyards Ltd (KSL) has the capacity to handle vessels of more than 4,000 tonnes and 150 metres and will boost the East African country’s status as a maritime hub.

The new facility has the longest slipway, a platform on which ships are secured and winched out of the water into a working area for construction, repair, refitting and maintenance.

The modern shipyard has two ship-building hangers, one 150 metres long and 30 metres high and a smaller one 120 metres long, 20 metres high and 13 metres wide.

President Uhuru Kenyatta officially opened the facility as Kenya eyes the lucrative shipbuilding and repair business.

The Navy project in Mtongwe gives Kenya a competitive advantage in shipbuilding and maritime engineering in eastern and central Africa, with the inauguration of a marine academy in Kisumu helping to boost human resource training for sustainable growth of the industry.

Certified ship welders

KSL will for the first time in Kenya’s history employ its own certified ship welders, which is part of the Kenyan government’s agenda to create over 10,000 jobs per year in the maritime sector, considering all ship welders in Kenya are foreign.

“In the project, Kenya, which owns about 17 military ships, seeks to save $6,800 million per vessel in maintenance fees every 10 years considering that since independence, all Kenyan ships have been serviced and maintained overseas, either in Spain or Netherlands.

Every ship has a lifespan of 10-15 years before a full makeover,” says a notice from the Kenya Defence Forces.

KSL is the anchor industry for the blue economy and will provide civil and modular infrastructure workshops, slipways, jetties, bridges and others required to support the maritime industry.

Kenya has already formed a full department on the national blue economy, which will require specialised vessels such as deep-sea fishing in the exclusive economic zone, where vast untapped marine fisheries resources are found.

Securing Kenya’s marine assets requires well-equipped vessels and KSL will play a key role in offering technical support.

Ship construction in Kenya is not a new concept.

The country built its first vessel – the MV Uhuru II – at the Kisumu port more than 70 years ago.

This is an example of how improving shipping and maritime infrastructure is a key component in Kenya’s economic roadmap, by harnessing maritime resources to propel its industrialisation agenda under Vision 2030.

The global market for ship construction, estimated at $126 billion in 2020, is dominated by South Korea (40 per cent), China (25 per cent) and Japan (15 per cent).

The global maritime trade value is worth $14 trillion, of which 40 per cent, worth $5.6 trillion, passes through the east coast of Africa.

This means that Kenya will for the first time have the chance to access $ 5.6 trillion of the trade that takes place in this region of Africa by ensuring ships pass through Kenya to undergo repair and maintenance.

Maritime stakeholders believed that not until Nigeria starts to harness its boundless maritime potentials will it be taken seriously by the global players who have consecutively denied the country to seat at the global maritime Council.

They pointed to a lot of gaps in the efforts of the government to develop the industry and harness its potentials.

They also decried the inability of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) to deploy the multi-billion naira floating dockyard which has since been bogged down by controversies several years after it was purchased.

Related Topics:featured Kenya in IMO Council

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Customs

Group confers “continental” award on Adeniyi over customs’ phenomenal revenue record

Adeniyi, CGC

Funso OLOJO

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, C.G.C Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, has been nominated and approved to be honoured with “The Continent Man of The Year 2024” Award by Board of Editors and Publishers of Continent magazine.

This resolution was announced by the spokesman of the group, Mr David Oladimeji, at the end of group’s meeting held on Friday, September 13th, 2024 in Abuja.

The meeting was organized by” The Continent “Magazine to deliberate on a personality and organisation deserving of the Award.

The Board’s attention was drawn to the statement made recently by former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (C.B.N) and sitting Governor of Anambra state, Prof Chukwuma Soludo,who told his constituents in Awka that the Customs and F.I.R.S have sustained the nation’s economy from collapse since February this year, when the NNPCL stopped remittance of statutory revenue to the Federation Account for onward disbursements to the three tiers of governments.

Oladimeji said “the Board noted that this is not an easy task to be achieved under the astute and dedicated leadership of C.G.C Adeniyi, considering the fact that the Customs and it’s officers have been perceived by the public as corrupt and fraudulent”

” In a bid to commend and encourage leaders of the customs and F.I.R.S as well as their lieutenants not to rest on their oars, the Board resolved to honour the C.G.C, his Command Controllers and Revenue Collectors who had made significant sacrifices and excelled in their national anti-smuggling, revenue collection assignments with “The Continent Man of The Year” and “Pillars of Nigerian Economy 2024″ Awards”

As plans are geared towards the celebration of the international and national icons at a date to be announced soon, “The Continent” special edition will publish the profile and achievements of the deserving recipients that earned them recognition and honour.

Headlines

NIMASA secures support of Bank of Industry for enhanced capacity building in maritime industry

Funso OLOJO

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has broker a partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI) to enhance its capacity building effort in the maritime industry.

The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, represented by the Executive Director of Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Jibril Abba, made this disclosure during a visit by the Management of the Bank of Industry, led by Executive Director of Large Enterprises, Mrs. Ifeoma Uz’Okpala.

He stated, “In addition to safety, security, and maritime labor, the Agency’s mandate encompasses capacity development aimed at growing the sector.”

He also reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaboration as a vital tool for achieving its mandate.

“The aim is to actualize the vision of the Federal Government to reposition the maritime sector, especially with the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy”, he said.

On her part, the Executive Director of Large Enterprises at BOI, Mrs. Uz’Okpala, affirmed the Bank’s readiness to support NIMASA.

She also emphasized the importance of collaboration in implementing a robust capacity-building initiative that will contribute to economic growth in Nigeria.

Bank of Industry Limited is Nigeria’s oldest and largest Development Finance Institution (DFI) currently in operation.

It is owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) Nigeria (94.80%), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) (5.19%) and private shareholders (0.01%)

Headlines

NIMASA secures support of Bank of Industry for enhanced capacity building in maritime industry

Funso OLOJO

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has broker a partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI) to enhance its capacity building effort in the maritime industry.

He stated, “In addition to safety, security, and maritime labor, the Agency’s mandate encompasses capacity development aimed at growing the sector.”

He also reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to collaboration as a vital tool for achieving its mandate.

“The aim is to actualize the vision of the Federal Government to reposition the maritime sector, especially with the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy”, he said.

On her part, the Executive Director of Large Enterprises at BOI, Mrs. Uz’Okpala, affirmed the Bank’s readiness to support NIMASA.

She also emphasized the importance of collaboration in implementing a robust capacity-building initiative that will contribute to economic growth in Nigeria.

Bank of Industry Limited is Nigeria’s oldest and largest Development Finance Institution (DFI) currently in operation.

It is owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) Nigeria (94.80%), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) (5.19%) and private shareholders (0.01%).