NIMASA partners with ITC-ILO to boost skills development through landmark agreement

By Godwin Oritse

In a move to strengthen human capacity development in Nigeria’s maritime sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO) in Turin, Italy.

In a statement by Edward Osagie, Deputy Director / Head Public Relations, of NIMASA, the agreement is aimed at enhancing NIMASA’s institutional capacity through targeted technical assistance, specialised training programmes, and capacity-building initiatives for the Agency’s staff and other key stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime industry.

Speaking at the ceremony, NIMASA’s Director General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola who was
represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Chudi Offodile, said that the partnership with the ITC-ILO fits into the Agencys deliberate objective of structured capacity building programmes for maritime professionals.

According to him, this partnership, therefore, responds directly to that objective and further reinforces the Agencys commitment to structured and targeted capacity development, while leveraging the ITC-ILOs expertise and global pedigree to strengthen the training of maritime labour inspectors, policymakers, and trainers in the interpretation and implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended.

While highlighting the strategic importance of the partnership to Nigerias maritime industry development, the DG said we remain committed to ensuring that the knowledge, systems, and partnerships developed through this engagement translate into measurable improvements in maritime labour administration and support a sector that is globally respected, professionally driven, safe, and firmly anchored on the principles of decent work.

Also speaking, the Director of the ITC-ILO, Mr. Christopher Perrin expressed appreciation for the partnership assuring that the Centre would deploy its faculty and resources to support Nigerias quest for sustainable human capacity development.
The MoU is the outcome of several interactions and strategic meetings between the two organisations with the Executive Director Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services NIMASA, Mr Jibril Abba and Head of Training at ITC-ILO, Giuseppe Zefola as focal persons while the Regional Adviser/Technical Expert at ILO, Dr. Amos Kuje provided valuable guidance.