The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, has given assurance that Nigeria will take the lead among African countries in harnessing the abundant resources of the blue economy for its benefit.
Sambo, who disclosed this when the Secretary-General, International Seabed Authority, Michael Lodge, and his entourage paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, said it was challenging that out of the 12 exploration projects in developing countries around the world, none was in Africa.
In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs in the ministry, Eric Ojiekwe, and made available to our correspondent, the minister, while acknowledging that the resources in the sea far outweighed those on land, said Nigeria was lucky to have the ISA to help it explore its untapped blue economy.
Regarding the workshop, Sambo advised that the outcomes should be escalated to the President and the National Assembly to accord them a priority.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of ISA, Michael Lodge, said the workshop was organised to “create awareness in Africa and hopefully, at some point in future, encourage African states and investors to look at the possibility and participate in deep-sea exploration as they only look towards the lands.”
He believed that the resources of the deep blue should be enjoyed by all and not just the rich and technologically advanced countries.
Earlier, the Ambassador to Jamaica and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative on International Seabed Authority, Dr Maureen Tamuno, thanked the minister for providing enabling environment for the workshop to hold and for providing access to enable them to visit the Maritime Academy, Oron, Akwa Ibom State, to assess its readiness to provide required competences for future activities in the deep seabed sector.
