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World Maritime Day Parallel Event ends in South Africa

 

— as Jamoh pledges Nigeria’s commitment to greener shipping
—Iran hosts 2023 edition of WMDPE
The Eyewitness reporter

The World Maritime Day Parallel Event (WMDPE), which was held in Durban, South Africa from the 12th to the 14th, of October 2022, has ended.

In his opening speech at the event, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said:
“After a two-year pause in parallel events due to the pandemic, it is an enormous pleasure to be able to welcome you all here to Durban for the 2022 World Maritime Day Parallel Event.
“The Parallel Event was instituted to provide an opportunity to take the World Maritime theme “on the road” and it is undoubtedly one of the most important maritime events, worldwide.”

Secretary-General Lim highlighted the need for ‘innovation’ and ‘inclusivity’ as shipping voyages to a decarbonized future, in which digitalization and automation will play a key role.

“Innovation is fundamental to the maritime industry’s successful energy transition.

“It requires new technologies, renewable alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping, along with new financial solutions to support all those practical aspects,” he said.

“We also need innovative teams working together, created through research and development partnerships. These should involve both the public and private sectors because we need all hands on deck to ensure these initiatives succeed.

” This needs to be done in the most inclusive way possible as we address capacity-building, technology and infrastructure to bring on board developing countries, in particular, least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the energy transition.
” No one should be left behind. Digitalization and automation can be counted amongst the technologies that will help us on the voyage towards cleaner, greener and more efficient shipping but this does not mean that we ignore the human element,” Mr. Lim said.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who also graced the event,  called for maritime nations to actualize the adoption of modern technology as a means of attaining cleaner and greener shipping in line with this year’s World Maritime Day commemoration theme.

Dr Jamoh, who stated this while speaking on the sidelines of the World Maritime Day Parallel Event (WMDPE) also stated that Nigeria would seek to contribute to the global push towards reducing emissions from shipping activities.

According to him, “The theme of this year’s event “New technologies for greener shipping” as declared by the IMO calls for the global family of nations to take action on decarbonisation of shipping and ports through the use of zero or low carbon technologies, fuels and infrastructure. The ultimate goal for Nigeria is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe for sustainable development of our local sector”.

As one of the most important maritime events on a global scale, the WMDPE is a definitive stage for the international community to make concrete contributions and progress on collaboration geared at innovative solutions to address mitigation strategies to reduce the maritime transport carbon footprint

Welcoming high-level delegates from across the globe, the Honourable Fikile Mbalula, Transport Minister, South Africa, said:
“The theme for this year’s World Maritime Day Parallel Event, “New technologies for greener shipping”, calls for the global family of nations to take action on decarbonisation of shipping and ports through the use of zero or low carbon technologies, fuels and infrastructure.
“The ultimate goal is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions across the globe for sustainable development. The big question we must answer is: “How do we get to a future that is sustainable, and facilitates global seaborne trade from all corners of the globe?”

He highlighted his “appreciation and applaud stakeholders, including the oil and bunker industry, manufacturers, academia, and shipping industry in general, for all your efforts and initiatives aimed at using research and innovation for the development of greener technologies as the pathway to the decarbonisation of this important industry.”

Noting the potential for countries to be part of the transition to cleaner fuels, he said, “We believe that the abundance of renewable energy potential can accelerate the development of greener technologies and alternative fuels in order to meet the demand of supplying bunker to ships at our ports.”

IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim is greeted by the Honourable Fikile Mbalula, Transport Minister, South Africa.
The panel session covered the World perspective on greener shipping – decarbonization; Collaboration and capacity building; Digitalisation for safer and efficient shipping; and Oceans and the blue economy.

IMO Secretary-General Lim hosted a ministerial round table on the sidelines of the event.

During the closing ceremony on Friday, 14 October, the World Maritime Day flag was handed over to the World Maritime Day Parallel Event host for 2023, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Business

Taiwo Afolabi calls on African businesses to scale up their operations for global relevance

Gloria Odion, Maritime reporter 
Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Chairman, SIFAX Group, has called on African entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to prioritise the growth of large, sustainable corporations capable of competing globally, rather than operating fragmented and small-scale enterprises that limit the continent’s economic potential.
Speaking at the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda, Afolabi said Africa’s economic transformation would depend significantly on the emergence of strong indigenous corporations with the scale, structure, and capacity to drive industrialisation, create jobs, attract investment, and compete internationally.
According to him, discussions at this year’s forum reinforced the urgent need for African businesses to embrace collaboration, long-term thinking, regional integration, and strategic expansion.
He said: “Africa cannot achieve its full economic potential with thousands of weak and fragmented businesses operating in silos.
“What the continent needs are strong institutions and large corporations that can survive beyond their founders, scale across borders, attract global capital, and compete with the best companies around the world.”
Afolabi noted that while entrepreneurship remains critical to Africa’s growth story, the continent must deliberately move beyond subsistence and lifestyle businesses towards building enduring enterprises with robust governance systems, innovation capacity, and continental reach.
He stressed that African governments, financial institutions, and private sector stakeholders must create enabling environments that support business scalability through improved infrastructure, access to finance, favourable regulations, and intra-African trade.
“The conversations at the Africa CEO Forum clearly showed that Africa’s future lies in integration and scale.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) presents a historic opportunity for businesses to expand beyond national borders and build truly pan-African enterprises,” he added.
Afolabi noted that SIFAX Group’s long-term vision is anchored on strengthening intra-African trade and supporting the successful implementation of AfCFTA through investments in logistics, ports, transportation, and digital finance solutions across Africa.
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Lagos APC Governorship aspirant disowns consensus arrangement, insists on primary election

Funso OLOJO, Editor
An aspirant in the Lagos State governorship race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olokun Lanre Jim-Kamal, has rejected the idea of consensus candidacy within the party, insisting that all aspirants must participate in governorship primaries ahead of the 2027 election.
Jim-Kamal stated this on Monday in Lagos during the unveiling of his five-point agenda for the state, where he also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the amended Electoral Act into law.
According to him, the amended Electoral Act has strengthened internal democracy within political parties and reduced the dominance of consensus arrangements in candidate selection.
“The Electoral Act vindicated many of us during the last House of Representatives primary election, where some endorsed candidates lost,” he said.
Speaking on the governorship race, the APC aspirant maintained that consensus arrangements often create division and resentment among party members.
“If consensus stands, the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, will not be running from pillar to post seeking support.
“Consensus breeds bad blood. There is nothing like consensus. We are all going for primaries,” he declared.
Jim-Kamal also announced Abiola Okoya, daughter of businessman Razaq Okoya, as his deputy governorship aspirant.
Unveiling his agenda for Lagos, the governorship hopeful promised automatic free education at all levels, free healthcare services, empowerment programmes for women and the elderly, mass housing, improved security, job creation and road infrastructure renewal.
He pledged to reconstruct roads across the state and address traffic congestion through urban renewal and housing development initiatives.
The aspirant also promised mechanised farming and fishing programmes modelled after Norway’s system, alongside plans to eliminate youth unemployment within one year of assuming office.
According to him, unemployed youths registered through local government councils would receive a monthly allowance of N100,000 pending employment, while elderly persons above 60 years and nursing mothers would receive N150,000 monthly support.
He further pledged to establish and enforce old people’s homes across Lagos State.
Jim-Kamal claimed that foreign partners were willing to invest about $50 billion in agriculture and human capital development if he secures the APC governorship ticket and wins the election.
“We have the manpower and the team. I know how to source the resources because I am a development expert.
“Our partners are ready to invest in rice farming and coconut production in Badagry,” he said.
The governorship aspirant stated that his administration would focus on correcting what he described as “the anomalies of the past” in Lagos politics and governance.
Tracing his political career, Jim-Kamal said he began active politics in 1988 when he contested for the chairmanship position under the old Ikeja Local Government as the youngest aspirant at the time.
He added that he later became involved in the formation of a youth movement known as Dynamic Youths, which expanded across the country.
According to him, he had contested for several political offices, including chairman, member of the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate under the defunct Alliance for Democracy and the Peoples Democratic Party before returning to the APC.
Jim-Kamal, who was also the immediate past deputy governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, said his decision to contest the Lagos governorship election was driven by the desire to “put things right in Lagos State.”
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FG grants approval for more deep seaports to boost Nigeria’ s competitive edge in C/W African region 

Funso OLOJO,Editor
The Federal government of Nigeria has approved the development of additional deep seaports to complement the existing ports in Nigeria.
The measure is to boost Nigeria’s competitive edge in the West and Central Africa, enhance its dominance in the regional maritime industry and make its ports preferred destinations for vessels in the regional.
Making this disclosure was the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola while declaring open the mid year Session of the Board of Directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) in Lagos on Monday,on May 18th, 2026.
The meeting is themed: “Ports of the Future: Combining Logistical Resilience with Inclusive Community Development”
“Approvals have therefore been granted for the development of additional deep seaports across the country to complement existing infrastructure, strengthen supply chain resilience,and reinforce Nigeria’s position as the preferred maritime and logistics hub for West and Central Africa,” Oyetola stated.
He further noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains focused on modernising the nation’s port system through infrastructure renewal, digital transformation and improved operational efficiency.
The Minister explained that ongoing policy reforms and enhanced inter-agency collaboration had significantly reduced logistics bottlenecks across major seaports,leading to faster cargo evacuation, shorter vessel waiting periods and a more predictable business environment for investors and port users.
“These efforts have contributed to improved cargo evacuation,reduced vessel waiting time, greater operational efficiency, and a more predictable business environment for port users and investors,” he said.
Dr. Oyetola also described the Federal Government’s National Single Window initiative as a transformative reform aimed at streamlining cargo clearance processes through the digital integration of relevant government agencies and port operations.
In addition, he revealed that existing ports across the country would undergo extensive upgrades,including channel deepening projects intended to accommodate larger vessels and boost trade capacity.
“These upgrades are critical to ensuring that our ports remain globally competitive and capable of supporting larger volumes of trade in the years ahead,” the minister added.
On maritime security, Oyetola highlighted the success of the Deep Blue Project, noting that piracy had been eliminated from Nigerian waters while maritime crimes across the Gulf of Guinea had declined significantly.
He said the improved security environment had restored investor confidence and enhanced the region’s reputation as a safe maritime corridor for international trade.
The minister urged delegates at the PMAWCA meeting to champion initiatives that would strengthen logistical resilience across port operations and regional supply chains, while promoting sustainable port management, innovation,digital transformation and inclusive community development.
In his welcome address,the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and President of PMAWCA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, stated that West and Central Africa was experiencing renewed momentum in maritime infrastructure investment,with over $27 billion in port projects either ongoing or recently announced across the sub-region.
Dantsoho cited major developments such as the $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya Deep Sea Port project in Guinea, the $2 billion Port San Pedro project in Côte d’Ivoire, the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, as well as new port initiatives in Ghana and Senegal.
He also referenced ongoing investments in Nigeria’s Apapa and Tin Can Island ports,alongside APM Terminals’ recently announced $600 million investment commitment.
According to him,ports in West and Central Africa must evolve beyond their traditional function as cargo transit gateways and become catalysts for broader blue economy development.
“The future of the sector lies in areas such as renewable marine energy, aquaculture, sustainable fisheries, coastal tourism and marine biotechnology,” Dantsoho said.
The PMAWCA Mid-Year Session, scheduled to hold from May 18 to 20, 2026, attracted key stakeholders from government and the private sector, including the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Kefas Agbu;Lagos State Governor represented by the Commissioner for Transportation,Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi; Chairman of Dangote Group,Alhaji Aliko Dangote; and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination,Hadiza Bala Usman, among others.
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