Strengthening Collaboration in Nigeria

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From 6 to 9 November, a delegation from the World Maritime University (WMU) visited key maritime institutions in Nigeria while in Lagos to deliver a workshop in conjunction with the European Union-funded Western and Central Africa Port Security (WeCAPS) project. The WMU delegation was led by Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU, together with Professor Max Mejia, Associate Professor Aref Fakhry, and Assistant Professor Khanssa Lagdami. 

At the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Agency for Safety (NIMASA), the delegation met with Director General Dr Yusuf Bashir Jamoh. In February of this year, Mr Jamoh and President Doumbia-Henry signed a new Memorandum of Agreement between WMU and NIMASA covering a wide range of capacity-building activities. The delegation was also welcomed at the Nigerian Ports Authority by Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, and at the Nigerian Navy’s Western Naval Command, by Rear Admiral Yakubu B. Wambai, Flag Officer Commanding. The visits provided the opportunity to discuss the impact and contributions of WMU on Nigeria’s maritime development as well as plans of action where mutual relations with partner organizations could be further strengthened and enhanced.

The delegation was also hosted at a dinner by alumni from Nigeria who briefed President Doumbia-Henry on plans to establish a WMU Nigerian Alumni chapter as a platform for collaboration, sharing best practices and helping to build maritime capabilities in Nigeria. The President commended the initiative and charged the alumni with continuing to be ambassadors of WMU and applying their knowledge for the benefit of their country. The gathering also served as a welcome home to the 18 Nigerian students who recently graduated from WMU on 31 October bringing the total number of graduates from Nigeria to 264, the largest number from any country in Africa.

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