Stakeholders lists ways to make  Nigeria  maximase benefits of AfCFTA

Stakeholders in the maritime sector have called on the federal government of Nigeria to clear the inland waterways of all impediments so as to take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

The stakeholders, drawn from different Maritime agencies and institutions, stated that for Nigeria to take full advantage of the Agreement, there is need to tap into the potentials of the inland waterways

Recall that there have been different arguments as to how Nigeria can maximise the benefits of the agreement, saying the country has to upgrade some of the obsolete infrastructure in the country.

According to the stakeholders who arrived at the decision in a communique drawn at the end of Annual Maritime Students and Youth (AMSAY )Conference in Lagos, waterways is germane to tapping the dividends of the convention.

The stakeholders, which included university lecturers and eggheads in the industry, also agreed that as Nigeria works towards harnessing sustainable blue economy, operators across board must show utmost respect for the marine environment to make it free from pollution.

They condemned the magical pipeline through which some captains eliminate oil wastes from their vessels while urging relevant government agencies and ship surveyors to always look out for traces of oil wastes so as to address the problem.

On catching up with global trends, they maintained that given the increasing impact of climate change in shipping, Nigerian cadets should also consider undertaking trainings in the aspects of marine environment protection.