Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), is planning a one-day programme on review of activities and policies in the maritime industry, in first quarter of 2021.
The programme slated for Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Lagos, will pave way for maritime experts and stakeholders to give in-depth assessment of the sector operations with regsrd tp growth, investments in-flow, revenue collection, job creation, contributions to GDP and foreign exchange earnings, among others.
In that capacity, stakeholders will have ample opportunity to dissect programmes and policies introduced by government in the first quarter, such as the; commencement of African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA); the Electronic Call-up system introduced by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to tackle traffic gridlock on ports access roads; issues of insecurity/lack of safety surrounding barge operations; Customs modernisation project; issues of security on the waterways; and other challenges facing the sector and the way forward.
Addressing Journalists in Lagos over the weekend, the MAJAN President, Comrade Ray Ugochukwu, said assessment of the sector is quite imperative, in order to have an overview of the sector in the first quarter.
According to him, “Journalists have a duty to disseminate information to the public. As such, they must have a clear understanding of activities in the maritime sector and the economy at large, in order to give the reading public credible information at all times”.
Recall that MAJAN has been in the fore of addressing the challenges of operating on the maritime sector and proffering solutions on the way the way forward for the industry through its various programme.s: the latest being the ‘Maritime Summit held in April this year.
