Reps Bemoan Maritime Sector 1% Contribution To GDP

The House of Representatives committee on Shipping Services, over the weekend, lamented that the maritime industry contributed paltry one per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Speaking at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), special retreat titled, ‘Strengthening Economic Regulation of Marine and Blue Economy for Sustainable Development,’ in Lagos, on Thursday, the chairman, House Committee on Shipping Services, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, said the maritime sector was expected to contribute 20 percent to the nation’s GDP.

He said: ‘the Maritime sector is expected to deliver 20 per cent of our GDP but presently, it is doing one per cent or less.’

The committee, however, stated that the Council’s act is undergoing repeal and re-enactment to give it the legal power as the Port Economic regulator.

“We are going to fast track that law and make sure that you have legal backing to do what is expected of you. We shall have this law by next year 2024.

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“There are certain things expected from the Nigerian Shippers Council, one of them is the ICTN, at Parliament, we would take it up, and whatever that is required will be done within the shortest possible time.

“One of our takeaways here today is that, we should have a Nigerian Shipping Commission and not a Council, this is what will strengthen the agency, you are supposed to be a Commission, you are the regulator of this all-important sector.

“Having said that, there are some quick wins that are expected of this Council. One of them is the ICTN. These are things that as a Parliament, we will take it up and make sure that whatever is required to implement that is done within the shortest possible time,” Dasuki noted.

Speaking earlier, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Akutah Pius Ukeyima, emphasised that the two-day Special Management Retreat played a crucial role in steering the Council towards achieving its objectives and contributing significantly to the advancement of sustainable development within the maritime sector.

Ukeyima underscored the need for aligning the Council’s Key Performance Indicators with that of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy which according to him, is a foundational step in evaluating the Council’s performance vis-à-vis the ministry’s expectations.