The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) says marine tourism is key to economic development.
The Director General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh, said this in a statement signed by Mr Osagie Edward, Assistant Director, Public Relations, NIMASA, on Tuesday in Lagos.
Jamoh called for collaboration between the tourism and maritime sectors to strengthen economic growth and sustainability.
He added that with the enormous resources inherent in the maritime sector, tourism industry would be an easy and low hanging fruit for Nigeria’s economic development agenda.
Jamoh spoke during the sixth National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo organised by the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria.
The summit was in collaboration with the Ministries of Transportation, Aviation, Information and Culture at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Tourism and the Development of Nigeria’s Blue Economy’, Jamoh observed that investment must not necessarily involve huge materials and human capital.
He noted that like other economic sectors, small and medium scale business was also possible to generate the amount of jobs and other economic benefits associated with the tourism sector.
“I must acknowledge here that tourism is one sector that Nigeria is doing very well. But unfortunately, the marine tourism component is one area where we are currently lagging behind when compared to other economies of the world.
“I am fascinated, and must commend the organisers of this event, because a well-managed tourism sector can support conservation while contributing to sustainable development and providing income opportunities and a higher quality of life,” he said.
Jamoh correlated the relationship between NIMASA, maritime potential and the tourism sector, noting that maritime safety and security was sacrosanct for marine tourism development.
He stressed the need for stakeholders to support all engagements and policies statement of government on preservation of Nigeria’s biodiversity, maritime ecosystem and other endowments, which are valuable assets for marine tourism development.
He noted that benefits from tourism would only be achieved with security guarantees.
Jamoh said that this could be achieved by closing gaps and linking associated cities through building of infrastructure.
“Research shows that the oceans economy is worth about $20 trillion. These include fishing, pharmaceutical and renewable energy industries.
“Therefore, we have to develop, preserve and protect our maritime endowments and link these industries appropriately, to achieve the desired goal.
“As an agency of government, NIMASA will always play that complementary role of supporting economic growth and development. We have invested a lot in acquisition and deployment of maritime security assets.
“So, I urge stakeholders in the maritime sector to take advantage of what we have done and invest in relevant marine tourism areas because our waters are now safe,”Jamoh said.
He called for proactive measures, stressing that pollution of marine and freshwater resources, soil and land resources, desertification and salinification due to excessive water use, overuse of fertilisers, erosion, air pollution, loss of cultural resources, and social disruption could be result of marine tourism development.
