• Says efficient logistics key to unlocking Nigeria’s blue economy
• Seeks stronger Customs, port agencies, private sector collaboration
The International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION) has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s maritime logistics and trade facilitation systems to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s blue economy.
Director-General of the Institute, Rear Admiral Thaddeus Udofia (rtd), made the call on Monday in Lagos while speaking at a three-day Executive Course on Logistics and Trade Facilitation for Blue Economy Growth organised by IMION.
Udofia said Nigeria’s ambition to emerge as a competitive maritime and logistics hub in Africa would remain difficult to achieve unless persistent inefficiencies in the movement of goods, people, information and services across maritime and trade corridors were addressed.
He noted that Nigeria’s vast maritime resources, including its coastline, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), inland waterways, creeks, estuaries and coastal assets, offered enormous opportunities for economic growth, job creation, trade expansion and regional integration.
According to him, the major challenge is how to effectively convert these resources into sustainable economic prosperity through efficient logistics and trade facilitation.
The IMION boss called for stronger collaboration among the Nigeria Customs Service, port authorities, regulatory agencies, shipping and logistics companies, freight forwarders, transport operators, technology providers and financial institutions.
He warned that institutional silos could undermine efforts to develop the blue economy, stressing the need for greater collaboration, digitalisation, transparency, interoperability and coordinated policy implementation.
Udofia said technology and data must be deployed more effectively to facilitate cargo clearance, improve supply-chain visibility and create a more efficient maritime business environment.
He explained that the executive course was designed to examine the challenges confronting the sector from both strategic and practical perspectives.
He said the programme would focus on modern logistics systems, customs procedures, port operations, multimodal transportation, supply-chain management and contemporary trade facilitation approaches.
Udofia urged participants to use the three-day programme to exchange experiences, challenge existing practices and develop practical solutions that could be implemented after the training.
The course, he said, would enable participants to map Nigeria’s major maritime corridors, identify inefficiencies in logistics and customs systems, assess trade facilitation tools and regulatory frameworks, and develop a roadmap capable of improving profitability across various blue economy subsectors.
IMION unveils second newsletter
As part of the Institute’s institutional milestones, Udofia also unveiled the second edition of the IMION Newsletter.
He described the publication as an important platform for documenting developments, innovations and emerging issues in Nigeria’s maritime industry and the wider Gulf of Guinea.
The IMION DG expressed appreciation to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, for his support to the Institute, particularly for facilitating the participation of Nigerian Navy officers in the executive course.
He also commended the Institute’s Board of Trustees, Governing Board, maritime stakeholders, partner organisations, consultant Paul Usoro & Co., and faculty members for their contributions to the programme and the growth of the Institute.
The programme attracted senior representatives of the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, port authorities, maritime organisations, government institutions, private-sector operators, academia, research institutions, logistics companies and freight organisations, among other stakeholders.
