Sylvanus: Reliance on Foreign Certification, Standardisation Impeding Unlocking N1 Trillion Maritime Sector

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The National Chairman of the Nigeria Institution of Maritime Engineers and Naval Architects (NIMENA), Dr. Eferebo Sylvanus,  yesterday, said the country was missing out on opportunities to unlock the N1 trillion maritime sector because of its reliance  on foreign certification and standardisation for its operations.

He also added that a lack of clear national policy, poor standardisation and lack of technical sovereignty still threaten the  actualisation of the full gains maritime sector.

Sylvanus disclosed this at the 14th Annual Conference of the Institution with the theme, “Digital Maritime Transformation and Smart Solutions: A Pathway to the Advancement of Nigeria’s Blue Economy, “ held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

He said Nigeria has one of the most active maritime sectors because of oil and gas business and a long stretch of coastline and inland waters.

Sylvanus stressed that Nigeria’s blue economic sector was estimated to have the capacity to generate over N1 trillion annually into the national coffers if properly harnessed.

The Chairman in a statement issued yesterday, noted that the sector has the capacity to create millions of jobs for the young population and create enormous wealth for the country.

According to him, the country is missing out on opportunities to unlock the sector because it technically relies on foreign certification and standardisation for its operations.

Sylvanus noted: “Nigeria has one of the most active maritime sectors in the oil and gas industry. We also have a long coastline; our inland waterways alone span 10,000 kilometres.

“Then, to crown it all, we also have young talents. So, the problem is not about shortage of talents but a structured pathway, so this conference is an avenue to unlock these potential.

“Nigeria is losing out in various sectors.  To unlock the potential, we have to be sovereign. We are a sovereign nation, but we are not technically sovereign.

“We still depend on technical expertise from foreign nations, so we cannot even standardise our tools, we cannot certify our tools, for us to have our engineers or cadets on board, they have to get foreign certification.”

With huge human capital population, the chairman said it was to have a structured pathway towards harnessing it.

Also, the President of the Council for the Registration of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Saddiq Abubakar said the Nigerian maritime domain plays a significant role in trade, logistics, energy exports, naval defense, and blue economy development.

He pointed out that despite this strategic position, Nigeria’s maritime capacity was constrained by the proliferation of substandard marine engines and equipment, a poor maintenance culture, high failure rates of marine machinery, inadequate shipyard capabilities, and limited local content.

Abubakar also cited weak conformity assessment for imported maritime equipment, fragmented enforcement of engineering and marine standards, and insufficient technical regulations for naval machinery as challenges facing the sector. He said: “These deficits undermine operational efficiency, increase cost, compliance safety, reduce fleet availability and limit Nigeria’s participation in the global maritime value chain.”