Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola (left), presenting a souvenir to the Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Concession, ICRC, Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh during a courtesy visit by the ICRC management to the NIMASA headquarters in Lagos State.
BY JACINTA HYCENTH
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has asserted that adopting the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model is essential for the infrastructural development of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
The Director General, stated this while hosting Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, the Director General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) at the Agency on Tuesday in Lagos State.
In a statement by Osagie Edward, Head, Public Relations of the Agency, the Director General emphasized the importance of the Commission’s increased involvement in attracting private investors to develop infrastructural capacity in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
“We appreciate the Management of the ICRC for being responsive. However, you know that the maritime sector is capital intensive and government funds cannot solely put in place the required infrastructure.
“We need the ICRC to develop PPP based business models that will be attractive to the private sector both from within and outside the country. There is the need to streamline processes by the use of technology, as we will continue to count on the support of ICRC to help drive the Agency’s PPP projects for effective and efficient service delivery to our stakeholders,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ewalefoh, who supported the NIMASA DG’s position, underscored the significance of the maritime sector to Nigeria’s economy and added that the PPP model would facilitate increased funding and expertise from the private sector, thereby accelerating the growth and development of the Nigerian maritime sector.
Dr. Ewalefoh expressed the ICRC preparedness to engage with NIMASA on its projects and ensure timely execution.
“There is no time to waste; our country needs lots of funding for infrastructure and we need to create an enabling environment for activities to thrive. First, is service delivery, not revenue generation, and people will be willing to pay if they get the right services”, the ICRC boss noted.
The statement disclosed further that PPP model has proven to be the most viable approach worldwide for driving government policies that promote development and economic growth.
“As a regulatory agency and Nigeria’s Maritime Administration, NIMASA has consistently embraced collaboration and partnership through the PPP initiative to ensure the growth and development of the maritime sector,” it stated.