IMO Secretary General arrives Nigeria for International Maritime Summit
By David Adekunle, Lagos
The Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), His Excellency Kitack Lim, has arrived in Nigeria for the International Maritime Summit 2022.
The summit will discuss regional policies and operational perspectives to De-carbonization and Green House Gas Emissions in shipping.
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, said the visit by Kitack Lim, which is the first by an IMO Secretary General to Nigeria in over fifteen years, is a testament to the renewed confidence of the international maritime community in Nigeria.
“We are glad that after fifteen years, an IMO Secretary General will be visiting Nigeria. Our desire is to continue in this stead until we attain a status of not just the hub of maritime activities in the region, but a major player in the global scene”, he said.
On his part, the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo said Nigerian Government is committed to ensuring that Nigeria becomes a major destination for global maritime players.
The CEO of Nigeria Iinternational Maritime Summit (NIMS), Dr Emeka Akabogu, noted that the summit will provide a platform for practical issues in operations and regulations impacting Decarbonization in Shipping in the West and Central Africa region, which would be highlighted as a catalyst for igniting the Blue economy in the said region.
Kitack Lim is also expected to have a firsthand experience of some operational activities of NIMASA, which is the focal Agency of Nigeria liaising with the IMO under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Transportation.
The Federal Ministry of Transportation and its Agencies in collaboration with the organized maritime private sector under the auspices of Nigeria International Maritime Summit, are hosting the event.
