By Steve Agbota
Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria,has tipped the newly created Marine and Blue Economy Ministry to boost the benefits accruable from the maritime sector in the nation.
The president of WISTA Nigeria, Mrs. Eunice Ezeoke made this assertion while speaking on a recent interview this week.
According to Ezeoke, the new ministry highlights a new frontier for national economic development with Nigeria’s vast coastline of 853km and 200 nautical miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“Nigeria’s coastline is almost one-third of the nation’s landmass. The ocean contribute an estimated $300billion to the African economy and supports over 49 million jobs. Nigeria must key into this big time,” she said.
Ezeoke, who retired from Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as a general manager, argued that the new ministry is a commendable development and one in the right direction.
“It has given exposure to the non-oil sector of the economy for growth, expansion and will definitely highlight the many benefits accruable from the ocean resources, rivers, lakes and the waterways,” she remarked.
She, however, stressed that the nation’s shipping approach must be sustainable with the use of the ocean resources for economic growth and well-being.
Her words: “This new ministry will definitely lead to infrastructural development of the sector in the area of job creation, draw attention and focus on technological developments, food productions, of course security must improve, give rice smart ports, green renewable energy production and other forms of energy such as wind wills.”
“It will open up a vista of potentials which is essential, technology driven, such as sustainable energy, from the wind tides and waves, biomass sources, salinity gradients, smart ports and ships, etc.”
She equally opined that growth is expected in the area of fishing, transportation of goods by waterways, store export -emerging sectors such as; marine biotechnology, deep sea mining, renewable energy and eco-tourism under the new ministry.
However, she maintained that there is a need for a cohesive deliberate, strategic and sustainable development plan to map out the headway in order to optimize the potential at all levels of the spectrum.