In a bid to continue to improve on its role as a global player in the comity of maritime nations, Nigeria would be hosting the 3^rd Conference of the Association of Heads of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA Conference) in Abuja, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, from 19^th -21^st of April,2017.

From Left: The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, IMO Secretary General Mr. Kitack Lim and Nigeria’s Alternate Permanent Representative (APR) to the IMO, Mr. Diko Bala during the visit to the IMO head quarters in London

The meeting which will be hosted by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in conjunction with International Maritime Organization (IMO) according to the Director General NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, will bring together all the major Maritime Administrators and leading stakeholders in Africa to discuss various issues and ways of improving the maritime sector in the continent.

Thirty two countries from all parts of Africa are expected to participate at the continental conference and a number of maritime stakeholder organizations around the world. The IMO delegation of five will be led by Mr. Kitack Lim the Secretary General of IMO which is a United Nations specialized agency that regulates shipping globally.

The Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) was formed following the signing of the African Transport and Maritime Charter in 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the aim of the association is to promote the Development of Africa’s maritime regulatory and maritime environment.

In Dakuku’s words,  “the hosting of this conference in Nigeria is in line with the economic diversification agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, and the repositioning agenda of the present Management to make Nigerian maritime industry a leading light in Africa and the global maritime sector”.

The NIMASA boss also noted that the conference will open a new vista of opportunities to the teeming unemployed youths, as well as unlock the potentials inherent in the maritime sector. This is just as the conference could serve as a platform towards Nigeria’s re-election into the IMO Council seat later in November this year.

AAMA, which brings together all players in the African maritime sector, is also an umbrella body of five African Maritime Stakeholders’ groups namely: Association of Maritime Administrations of Africa, Africa’s Ship Registry Forum, African Ship Owners Association as well as Africa Shippers’ Council and Seafarers’ Forum.

According to Dakuku  “the benefits of hosting the conference cannot be over emphasized, it will equally avail stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime industry an opportunity to rub minds with their counterparts across Africa and the globe, and further chart a way forward for the African maritime sector. It will effectively signal the arrival of the country in the global maritime arena as a respectable global voice”.

The inaugural and the second conferences were held in Mombasa, Kenya in 2012 and South-Africa in 2013 respectively.