Nigeria, seven others target 20% of global shipping trade

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

20 Nov 2010

Nations are targeting 20 per cent share of the global shipping trade by 2018. The D-8 is a group of developing countries with large Muslim populations that have formed an economic development alliance. It consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.
The Secretary-General, D-8, Dr. Widi Pratikto, said at the group‘s maritime industry‘s inaugural meeting in Abuja on Friday that the D-8 had taken into account the importance of shipping in the expansion of intra-trade amongst member states, adding that cooperation in the area of shipping would raise the group‘s share of global the trade to over 20 per cent by 2018.
A statement on Wednesday quoted Pratikto as saying that most D-8 countries had ports for trading, but that only few of the ports were big enough to accommodate their trade.
He said, ”By having a good action plan and project proposal, as well as a prime mover secretariat that functions to monitor and evaluate the agreed cooperation, we will achieve some progress in our shipping industry. The cooperation in the area of shipping will raise the group‘s share of global trade to over 20 per cent by 2018.”
However, the Nigerian government has said that it is set to fast-track investment in the maritime sector as a result of its election into the Expert Working Group on Shipping of the D-8.
The Minister of Transport, Mr. Yusuf Suleiman, who was represented by the acting Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Suleman Nagogo, said at the inaugural meeting that the meeting of the shipping group that the aim was to fast-track investment and cooperation in the maritime sector and increase the share of trade amongst the D-8 countries.
The minister assured the representatives of the D-8 countries of Nigeria‘s commitment to the recommendations that the group would come up with and restated the need to collaborate in areas such as seafaring training, and ship building and repairs.
Also speaking, the D-8 Commissioner for Nigeria, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, expressed optimism that collaboration would yield practical results for member countries.
”What is important to the D-8 countries is to put food on the table of our people; and that is why we have come together to fashion out the best way to achieve our goal,” he said.
The meeting, which was attended by representatives from all eight member countries, witnessed the election of the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, to chair the D-8 Expert Working Group on Shipping.
Omatseye said that Nigeria was open for business, adding that it was an exciting time to invest in the country‘s maritime industry, especially in the shipping sector.
He said that the D-8 platform was providing the required structure for a globalise model to shipping development.
Omatseye noted that the group would serve as a veritable platform for the effective harmonisation of all collaborative efforts in the maritime sector.
The terms of reference adopted at the first D-8 Expert Working Group on Shipping include the adoption of a regional policy framework for promoting and strengthening of intra D-8 shipping services; and encourage shipping companies, ship owners, ship building and ship repair yards of member countries to enter into mutual agreements in order to promote and develop maritime transportation.

Source: Punchng