The Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) has instituted a new structure to make the shipping sub-sector a game-changer for Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy that has been valued at about $300billion with potentially 50 billion jobs.
The President of SOAN, Mr. Sonny Eja, disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos, while giving his acceptance speech during the inauguration ceremony held for the new executives of the association including Dr. Louis Ekere as 1st Vice President and Mr. Gbolahan Shaba as 2nd Vice President.
Eja observed that practical solutions such as the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to support growth in indigenous participation in shipping trade as well as the fostering of mutually-beneficial relationship among industry stakeholders were germane to optimizing the economic gains of the Marine and Blue economy.
In that vein, SOAN would consistently engage the relevant government agencies and parastatals in policy issues that would drive the processes and operations targeted at job creation.
His words: “Job creation, food security, renewable energy resources, balanced foreign trade and stable forex, are just some of the benefits of a well-optimized Marine and Blue Economy for Nigeria; but SOAN and the entirety of Nigerian ship owners will need solutions through the disbursement of Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF), mutually beneficial relationships with the various categories of industry stakeholders, especially NIMASA, NNPCL, Dangote Group, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NCDMB, NUIMS among others.
“The Nigerian Marine and Blue Economy is valued at between $296billion to $300billion with potentially 50 million jobs and these numbers are projected to rise year in, year out. Therefore, harnessing the Blue Economy could be a game changer for this nation and ship owners must be at the heart of this drive for economic growth via maritime.
“While this administration will work assiduously to deliver benefits to all members and protect our collective interests; we will equally focus more on policy advocacy, constructively engaging the relevant government agencies/parastatals on policy formulation and implementation as it affects the shipping sector and indigenous ship owners.”
Established in 2015 as a non-profit organization, which serves to promote the interests of the over 50 Nigerian shipowners and operators owning a combined fleet of over 150 various vessels, SOAN plays a central role in various sectors of the maritime industry, including oil and gas, dry bulk and wet cargo shipping.
According to Eja, SOAN has actively contributed to government policy formulation, facilitated seafarer development activities, and fostered international partnerships within the industry. On that strength, it is set to address issues of challenges in ship acquisition and access to cargoes plaguing shipping, just as it would position SOAN to maximize shipping potentials at a time when the maritime industry has attracted priority attention.
Speaking earlier, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun, who is a founding member of SOAN and the first president, said it was important for the shipowners to see themselves as an association of global trading shipowners and take advantage of the opportunity to be a platform for stakeholders’ sensitisation and strategic engagement in order to take their position over foreign dominance.
His words: “It is safe to say that the majority of shipowners in that space are Nigerian shipowners as opposed to those days when it was foreign dominated. This government has given us the platform to step out and why should we be happy that all the cargoes going out and coming in are carried by foreign shipowners. We must start talking about the global space.”
Eja who took over office of the SOAN President from Dr. McGeorge Onyung, expressed deep appreciation to the association‘s Board of Trustees including its Chairman Hon. Chibudom Nwuche, Engr. Greg Ogbeifun, Barrister (Mrs )Mfon Usoro, and Mr.Tijani Folawiyo.
The inauguration event was well attended by key stakeholders of the Marine and Blue Economy including the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello Koko; a former a former Director General of NIMASA, Barrister Temisan Omatseye; a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barrister Hassan Bello who chaired the occasion. The industry parastatals including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council; the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and several others had their presence recognised.
