The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has confirmed participation at the forthcoming Nigeria International Maritime Summit (NIMS) scheduled to hold between Oct. 5 and Oct. 6 in Lagos.
Amaechi made the confirmation when a delegation from the event’s Governing Board and Advisory Council visited him on Friday in Abuja.
The minister noted the importance of business-to-business exchange in the maritime industry and pledged the commitment of the Ministry of Transport to the event.
The Chief Executive Officer of NIMS, Emeka Akabogu, said the summit was focused on harnessing the diverse strengths of the Nigerian maritime industry and unlocking economic strength through industry cooperation.
Akabogu described the NIMS as the only “whole-of-value-chain” business event for international organisations, policy makers, regulators, development organisations, operators, service providers and consumers in Nigeria’s maritime industry. He said the summit incorporates a strategic conference, a maritime trade exhibition and high-level networking opportunities.
According to Akabogu, NIMS will create a first-rate business development and policy activation opportunity in the country and will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual participation.
“The idea of the summit is essentially for us as industry practitioners in the maritime industry to come together. Nigeria should be a maritime hub, but Nigeria over the years has not been able to develop a viable maritime cluster.
”So it is only by developing a viable maritime cluster that the advantages of being a hub can be harnessed and that is the idea.
”We have set the October 5 to 6, for the summit and our request is that you deploy your good office to be physically part of the event.
”In doing that, you are engendering confidence of the industry and also encouraging the agencies under the ministry to buy in and this will have a multiplier effect,” Akabogu said.
The NIMS CEO explained that with the summit, a lot of the pressure placed on government would be transferred to the private sector.
”The private sector is able to facilitate its business on its own, all that we need is that the government just shows its presence wherever this things are happening.
”We hope you will come and formally declare the event open on the 5th and if we can get an encouragement of all the agencies to be part of it in one way or the other,” he added.
Also speaking, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi, member of the Governing Board of NIMS, said the summit would serve as a platform to showcase the potentials in the industry and attract more investors.
Orakwusi said it would help address all the burning issues in the industry and present the sector in a very positive light to the world.
“This is a way of saying to the whole world, come and see what is happening in this sector,” she said.
