NIMASA UNVEILS BLUE ECONOMY ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME, NATIONAL INNOVATION HACKATHON
Director, Marine Conservation & Innovation, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy representing the Hon. Minister; Shehu Aliyu, Executive Director Public Sector, First Bank Limited; Abolore Solebo Executive Director Corporate Banking, Fidelity Bank; and Mrs. Hafsatu Mohammed, Executive Director, NNPC Shipping and Logistics Ltd at the Blue Economy Accelerator Programme and National Innovation Hackathon held at Eko hotel.
…open portal to young innovators October 5.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has unveiled the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme ,NIMASA-BEAP, and the National Innovation Hackathon, a strategic initiative designed to attract young innovators into Nigeria’s marine and blue economy industry, stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, and attract private-sector investment into the sector.
The accelerator programme and innovation hackathon are expected to provide a structured platform for young Nigerians and innovative enterprises to develop solutions to some of the challenges and opportunities across Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy value chain.
In his welcome remarks, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, described the initiative as a national development imperative aimed at positioning Nigeria to Ederive greater economic value from its maritime resources.
According to him, the scale of Nigeria’s maritime economy presents a significant opportunity for economic diversification, job creation, innovation and increased participation of Nigerians in maritime value chain.
“Nigeria’s maritime economy is a multi-billion naira frontier we have left largely untapped. We capture less than three percent of the value moving through our own waters. NIMASA-BEAP exists to correct that historic imbalance,” Dr. Mobereola stated.
He challenged young innovators and entrepreneurs to “Lead this frontier. Do not follow it” and see the maritime sector not merely as an industry, but as a frontier for innovation, investment and national economic transformation.
Delivering the keynote address, the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola CON commended NIMASA for the bold initiative saying it represents a paradigm shift from only regulating to engendering the implementation of the blue economy for the benefit of Nigeria.
According to the Minister, “I want to commend, the Director-General and CEO of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, and NIMASA’s Executive Management Team, for the vision and institutional boldness this programme represents. This is not a routine government initiative. This is a paradigm shift — from NIMASA as a regulator, to NIMASA as a catalyst. The NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator sets a standard that I am proud, as Minister, to champion before this audience”.
Represented by the Director, Marine Conservation and Innovation, Mr Shettima Hussein Shehu, the minister urged stakeholders including commercial banks, development finance partners and maritime stakeholders to key into the initiative by investing, mentoring and partnering with NIMASA to advance the blue economy sector.