By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, on research and training towards enhancing maritime safety and security in Nigeria.
The Director General NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, and his counterpart at the NITT, Dr. Bayero Salih Farah, signed the MoU over the weekend in Zaria which is hinged on research and training, with a view to enhancing local content and boosting the quality assurance of the institute. This is a follow up on earlier agreements reached between both Agencies of government in their quest to further domesticate specialized training programmes at management cadre in the maritime sector.
Dr. Jamoh described the MoU between both parties as a mutually beneficial partnership, aimed at supporting the core mandate of the NITT, while also in line with his administration’s commitment to capacity building for NIMASA staff.
According to him, “The MoU is to formalize and strengthen the existing relationship between NIMASA and the NITT in terms of research, training and capacity development in general. We appreciate your visit to NIMASA sometime ago and we are glad that much progress is being made in terms of our collaboration.
“We hope that your institute willconduct detailed research to determine gaps in the implementation of our core mandate and develop training programs to close such identified gaps.”
On his part, the NITT Director General, Dr. Bayero Salih Farah, thanked NIMASA for its longstanding support to the institute through direct financial assistance and by utilizing the training services provided for the Agency’s staff over the years.
He added that the NITT will work closely with NIMASA to ensure that the Institute provides training and research services that are of globally acceptable standard.
NITT provides trainings to personnel employed in all modes of transport, leading to the award of various certificates; Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Transport and Logistics.
NIMASA has continued to embrace capacity building as a tool to enhance maritime development in Nigeria, while also engaging in all forms of viable collaborations towards achieving its mandate, which cuts across shipping development, maritime safety and maritime security.