The Federal Government has begun moves to end granting of cabotage waivers nationwide.To this end, a five-year plan was yesterday launched in Lagos to see to its successful execution and establishment of a new regime that makes indigenous operators compete favourably with their foreign counterparts. This comes as government said Nigeria was targeting to join the comity of shipbuilding nations in 2024.
Also, the presidency and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) are contemplating incentives for prospective investors. Besides, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is planning to float a $200 million (N61.2 billion) facility to support the local industry.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Dakuku Adol Peterside, said after the careful implementation of the roadmap in the next five years, government would have revived the Ajaokuta Steel Mill and the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) to achieve local production of vessels.
Noting the place of technical capacity in the entire project, he said his agency was vigorously training Nigerian youths to acquire requisite knowledge on ship building and manning. Peterside said NIMASA had commissioned an audit of shipbuilding yards across the federation and was consulting with the office of the vice president to create incentives for those willing to build vessels in the country. Read more
