Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, will lead maritime experts and industry agencies’ heads to discuss dock workers’ roles in unlocking the potential of the country’s blue economy.
The event organised by Shipping Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (SCAN) will focus on the need to properly position, through capacity building, the dockworkers, which are integral to the nation’s seaport terminals’ cargo handling job.
President of SCAN, Eugene Agha told journalists that Nigerian dockworkers are pivotal in the nation’s seaport logistics system, hence the need to put them on the front in order to harness their potential as the country raises to explore its blue economy.
“The event is largely an early-warning on the need to draw the attention of stakeholders, especially the government, terminal operators and the dockworkers themselves, to the imperative of capacity building germane to the increasing expectations from the sector in the light of a dynamic operating environment.”
“This is in the light of increasing developments in the industry geared at a more robust and resourceful harnessing of the ocean economy for a stronger Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the port sector primary to that pursuit, and the dockworker an indispensable human resource.”
According to the SCAN president, the event, it second edition with the theme: “Dockworkers: Key to Unlocking Nigeria’s Blue Economy” and put together collaboration with the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) will take place on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa.
Aside Oyetola who will serve as special guest, other bigwigs include a former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Adebayo Sarumi; the executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Pius Akutah; director general, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola and managing director of NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.
The rest are the chairperson, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria, Princess Vicky Haastrup, and the terminal operators, while the managing director, PTML, Ascanio Russo, will serve as keynote speaker.
