NIMASA Affirms Nigeria’s Commitment to Sustainable Atlantic Cooperation

By David Adekunle, Lagos

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has assured the international community of the commitment of the Nigerian government to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Atlantic region which should be explored sustainably for the benefit of all the countries in the region.

The NIMASA DG, Dr Dayo Mobereola, gave the assurance during his presentation at the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation summit, a sideline session at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly in New York, chaired by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.

According to Mobereola, “Nigeria’s participation in the Atlantic Cooperation has had a transformative effect on how our government is contributing to shaping acceptable global policies and agendas for a more secure, sustainable and prosperous Atlantic region.

“We recently organised an international workshop on Deep Sea-bed activities, where our government reaffirms commitment to develop a legal and regulatory framework for deep-sea mining, driving sustainable economic growth.

“Nigeria is also working closely with critical developmental partners such as the United States, the European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the United Nations to protect our coastline and ensure the safe passage of goods and people, promoting regional economic integration.”

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The NIMASA head also engaged participants on Nigeria’s unique perspectives on funding, governance complexity, and technological advancement, amongst other issues, with an assurance that Nigeria under the current administration is focused on developing a virile marine and blue economy industry.

On his part, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who chaired the session, noted that the Atlantic Ocean is vital to every nation of the world, stating that all countries bothering the ocean have a direct stake in this joint venture.

“Together, we are fostering greater connections and coordination between our governments, between our civil societies, our private sectors, our scientific communities – laying the groundwork to find and to share solutions to these joint challenges. We’re helping one another harness new technologies to address common threats,” he stated.

Since its launch, the Atlantic Partnership has grown to forty-two members, representing more than 75 percent of the Atlantic coastline. Countries from Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean participated at the session to address shared challenges, promote common solutions, and advance collective principles.

Members endorsed a Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation promising engagement on the basis of international law, existing national and international legal frameworks, mutual collaboration, respect for differences in capacity and political perspective, and acknowledging the special role and primary interest of Atlantic states in the Atlantic.