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| Dr. Dakuku Peterside, DG NIMASA |
The
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated the automation of the Agency’s process
is an initiative geared towards reducing human interface, thereby bringing
about better efficiency and improvement in the turn-around-time of shipping
agents, vessels calling at the nation’s ports and all forms of transactions in
the sector.
Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated the automation of the Agency’s process
is an initiative geared towards reducing human interface, thereby bringing
about better efficiency and improvement in the turn-around-time of shipping
agents, vessels calling at the nation’s ports and all forms of transactions in
the sector.
The DG who made this statement during a Stakeholders forum
organized by the Agency in Lagos on the implementation of automated business
processes, called SAGE ERP X3 said the benefits that would be derived from the
digitalization process would yield enormous benefits not just for the
Stakeholders, but for the country at large.
“In line with the Federal Government’s Executive Order on
Ease of Doing Business, we are committed to improving turnaround time of
vessels, reduction of human interface in majority of our transactions with our
stakeholders and this is in our bid to ensure transparency and professionalism
that the sector demands to grow,’’ he said.
In a statement from the Head of Communications, NIMASA, Mr.
Isichei Osamgbi, the DG who was represented by the Director in charge of
Special Duties, External Relations and Technical Cooperation of the Agency,
Hajia Lami Tumaka disclosed that through the Agency’s Survey, Inspection and
Certification Transformation Programme, over 3,752 Certificates of Competency
(CoC) were issued in 2017 to successful seafarers which represented a 149%
increase over the same period in 2016.
Speaking further, he observed that a total number of 1,880
certificates were authenticated for stakeholders in 2017 which was an
improvement on the 1013 which were cleared in 2016.
The NIMASA DG also made it known that the number of Nigerian
seafarers placed onboard vessels from January to June of this year is 2,337,
representing a 58.9% increase in the number of employed seafarers.
“For us in NIMASA, we are happy that the confidence of
stakeholders in the Agency has increased; more importantly, there has been an
increase in employment and wealth creation which is in line with the Federal
Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, (ERGP). We will work more
closely with you and keep relying on the support we have got from you over
time, because without the Stakeholders, there will be no NIMASA”, the DG
asserted.
The Chairman of African Shipowners Association, Mr. Temisan
Omatseye, who was at the event stated that in his opinion the current
management of NIMASA with the roll out of the SAGE ERP X3 automation platform
continues to steer the maritime industry in the right direction.
He also pledged the continuous support of Stakeholders to
every initiative of the Agency geared towards realizing a robust maritime sector.
It may be recalled that as part of the strategy to improve
the lot of the maritime industry, the Management of the Agency set out on a 5
point agenda namely; Survey, Inspection & Certification Transformation
Programme, Environment, Security, Emergency Search & Rescue Transformation
Initiative, Digital Strategy Reforms, Capacity Building & Promotional
Initiatives and Structural & Cultural Reforms. The Agency has remained
focused in vigorously pursuing these strategic pillars, which has seen to the
feat achieved in the Nigerian maritime sector.
