The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA is intensifying efforts to digitise its services as part of broader reforms aimed at eliminating unnecessary human contact, blocking revenue leakages and reducing bureaucratic delays.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola stated this at a 2026 Maritime Training Summit and Awards of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, themed “The Power of Innovation in a Future-Ready Maritime Training Agenda.”
Mobereola, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Public Relations, Daniel Kajo, said innovation had become imperative for the maritime industry.
He stressed that the sector could not achieve different results by continuing with outdated methods.
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Transforming the Sector
The DG dentified digitalisation, collaboration and strategic synergy as key pillars of NIMASA’s approach to transforming the sector.
He stated that excessive human interaction in maritime processes had contributed to corruption, delays and inefficiency.
“NIMASA is also moving towards full automation of the Nigerian ship registry to enable operators to undertake registration and related transactions remotely, including making payments without having to visit the agency offices,” Mobereola said.
According to him, the digitalisation drive would not only improve efficiency but also strengthen revenue administration by closing loopholes associated with manual processes.
Mobereola also highlighted that NIMASA’s collaboration with other government agencies and international partners have yielded significant results, citing four-year period without pirate attacks, successful election into the Council of the International Maritime Organisation and the recent lifting of a 12-year condition of entry imposed by the United States Coast Guard on vessels that had previously called at Nigerian ports.
He said the achievements demonstrated the importance of collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s maritime interests.
Beyind Digitalisation
Beyond digitalisation, Mobereola said NIMASA was addressing seafarers training gap, disclosing that 134 National Seafarers Development Programme cadets were being deployed to sea-time training in the United Kingdom, India and Romania.
“NIMASA is also reviewing its regulatory framework to keep pace with emerging developments such as autonomous vessels, alternative-fuel ships and greenhouse-gas emissions, ”Dr Mobereola stated.
According to him, three major maritime laws, the NIMASA Act 2007, Merchant Shipping Act 2007 and Cabotage Act 2003 are currently under review by the National Assembly.
