NPA partners Navy, world Maritime University On capacity building, curriculum development

Abiola Seun

The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), on Wednesday, said plans are in the works to partner with the World Maritime University (WMU), the Nigerian Navy Hydrography Department, the Nigerian Institute of Marine and Oceanography Research, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and other research and learning institutions for curriculum development and capacity building.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko, during the commissioning of the authority’s Dockyard Training School in Lagos.

He stated that the commissioning of the Dockyard Training School was a testament of the agency’s resolve to institute continuous learning as a culture in the agency.

Present at the commissioning were the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haarstrup; Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr George Moghalu; Professor Pat Utomi and others who all gave goodwill messages before the commissioning of the facility.

Bello-Koko said, “A modern technical training facility of this nature is germane to us as an authority because the opportunity to learn, unlearn and relearn which it offers constitutes a critical success factor in actualizing our strategic intent of becoming the maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services in Africa.

“As most of us are aware, having in place a robust talent pool is a necessary precondition for operating efficiently in the fiercely competitive terrain that port business is.

“Consistently up-skilling and re-skilling our employees on whom we place a very high premium is our overriding objective as a management team, and our readiness to position them to be best in class, is at the core of what this training school sets to achieve

“This complex has the capacity of training 380 persons per time as it consists of a lecture theatre with seating capacity of 73 persons, a large hall with seat capacity of 112; a mini hall with seat capacity of 50 people; another with 27 and six simulation classrooms that seats 16 persons each, including a fully automated library with seating capacity for 120 persons and a hostel with 30-bed capacity.

“The decision to invest so much in this facility took cognizance of our former employees, some of whom although retired are actually not tired. We intend to tap into their wealth of experience and institutional knowledge by inviting them as resource persons to train upcoming employees.

“Processes are also in the works to partner with the World Maritime University, The Nigerian Navy Hydrography Department. Nigerian Institute of Marine and Oceanography Research, the University of Lagos and other research and learning institutions in the area of curriculum development and capacity building.

The NPA MD also called on sister agencies to maximize the potentials inherent in the training schools by patronising the institute.

He also disclosed that the authority was presently transforming the authority’s riggers workshop to marine and seamanship workshop.

“It would be pertinent to mention that work is at advanced stages to transform our Riggers Workshop to a marine and Seamanship Workshop to be deployed for training in the area of Seamanship Practical, Radio/Signal.

© 2022, maritimemag. All rights reserved.