Onwuka Igwe, the former Director of Cabotage at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has highlighted the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) as a crucial initiative aimed at enhancing local manpower and enabling Nigeria to manage its coastal shipping effectively. The NSDP was created to cultivate a skilled workforce, ultimately reducing the need for waivers that allow foreign operators access to Nigeria’s coastal waters.
Igwe emphasized that the program aims to foster sufficient local capacity so that the reliance on foreign personnel in the cabotage trade diminishes over time. In his upcoming book, “Nigerian Cabotage Law and Practice,” he elaborates on how the NSDP was developed as a strategic response to the pressing shortage of skilled indigenous workers in the maritime sector.
He pointed out that the program focuses on training Nigerian seafarers in various aspects of shipping and maritime trade, addressing the challenges posed by an aging seafaring workforce. To date, the NSDP has successfully trained nearly 2,500 young Nigerians in diverse maritime disciplines at renowned academies worldwide.
According to Igwe, these trained individuals are expected to fill critical roles in operating vessels involved in Nigeria’s Cabotage trade, thereby bolstering local participation and decreasing dependence on foreign seafarers. He stated, “The Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme is a project strategically designed by NIMASA to train seafarers in various departments of shipping and maritime trade.”
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