A WELCOME ADDRESS PRESENTED BY MR SYLVANUS OBASI, MD/CEO PLATFORMS COMMUNICATIONS AT THE 2025 ANNUAL MARITIME STUDENTS AND YOUTH CONFERENCE HELD ON TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2025 AT MISSION TO SEAFARERS CONFERENCE HALL, APAPA-LAGOS.
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It’s my pleasure and delight to welcome you all to the 9th Annual Maritime Students And Youth Conference, known as ‘A Day With Nigerian Maritime Students’, the 2025 edition. This year, 2025 is looking like a watershed year for the Nigerian Maritime sector for several reasons. First, in this year, two maritime institutions: the Nigerian Institute For Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) and the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology (FCFMT) which were hitherto domiciled in the Ministry of Agriculture have been successfully integrated into the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy where they rightly belong. This year, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, thereby setting the strategic framework for long-term sectoral transformation.
Also this year, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy directed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to begin the process for immediate disbursement of the long awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) and NIMASA has set August this year as deadline for the actual disbursement of the fund to qualified indigenous ship owners. Indeed, 2025 is turning out to be an interesting year for maritime stakeholders and it is my wish and prayer that you seated here today will not just witness but also benefit from these interesting developments happening in our sector this year and beyond. May we live in interesting times! And may we also benefit from events of interesting times.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that for the past 9 years, the AMSAY Conference has become a household name in the Nigerian maritime sector: a yearly outing which maritime schools and their students as well as young and old maritime professionals look forward to attending each year. This is made possible because the vision and purpose of AMSAY Conference goes beyond just being a conference, but a youth-centric succession plan program that converge both the young and the old, engage them in topical discussions aimed at proffering solutions to critical and contemporary issues affecting the future of Nigerian maritime sector.
Since its debut in 2016, the AMSAY Conference continues to bridge the gap between industry professionals and aspiring maritime leaders. It is the much-needed platform for knowledge-sharing and mentoring, especially for students preparing to contribute meaningfully to the maritime sector as the program allows students to air their views on maritime matters, ask pertinent questions on issues bothering them and seek practical knowledge of the industry beyond the classroom teachings.
Fondly called ‘A Day With Nigerian Maritime Students’, the program initiative stimulates healthy academic competition amongst Nigerian maritime students by rewarding academic excellence through the Best Graduated Maritime Students Awards (BEGMASA). It’s also a platform that challenges Nigerian maritime students to contribute intellectually to the development of the sector through participation in Fola Ojutalayo’s Annual Maritime Speech-Making Competition which was conceived and integrated into the AMSAY Conference brand in 2022. Indeed, AMSAY Conference has given Nigerian maritime students and young maritime professionals a reason to imagine, to dream, to aspire and to hope for a better future. No wonder, this accounts for the impressive turn out of participants each year, a confirmation that the AMSAY Conference brand has indeed been very impactful as evident in the Students’ Testimonials published in page 11, 12 & 13 of the Brochure; as well as the Profile of Past Best Graduated Maritime Students equally published in pages 27-33 of the brochure.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, today we have gathered once again to discuss an important topic that will no doubt shape the future of our industry and impact on the career development of our youths as future leaders and successors of the industry.
Anchored on the central theme, “Automation and Digitalisation of Maritime Operations“, and with a Sole Paper Presentation topic tagged, “The Future of Nigerian Maritime Students & Youth in the Face of Automation and Digitalization of Maritime Operations”, this year’s event provides a veritable platform for maritime stakeholders and government agencies to engage the students and youths on their newly deployed automations and digitlized systems; evaluate the impacts of these automations and digitaizations on career development of students and interrogate the preparedness of maritime schools in ensuring that their students graduate with modern skills needed to take on the challenges of modern maritime jobs which are becoming increasingly digitalized and automated.
To set the tone for this conversation, we have invited heads of government agencies in the sector as our Guest Speakers to deliver Special Addresses on some selected topics with a view to informing this gathering about what their agencies are doing in terms of digitalising and automating their operations and services as well as the prospects and challenges of such tech-driven innovations in maritime operations.
For practical examples, just this year, the federal government through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has approved that the long-awaited National Single Window platform be fully deployed. The Nigerian customs Service has equally deployed various innovative and tech-driven systems, one of which is the B’ Odogwu platform, a home-made unified customs management system meant to replace the foreign-made Nigerian Integrated Customs Information System known as (NICIS II).
On the other hand, the Nigerian Shippers Council is championing Port Service Support Portal (PSSP); the Port Community System (PCS): the International Cargo Tracting Note (ICTN) and other such tech-driven systems. Even recently, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) announced a deployment of Maritime Enhanced Monitoring System (MEMS), a system meant to bring digital traceability to the core of Nigerian maritime operations by providing real-time visibility into vessel movement, operational logs and regulatory interactions. Infact, all the agencies are championing one tech-driven initiative or another as a way of keying into automation and digitaizations of maritime operations which have taken the centre stage in the global maritime community.
Wiith the representatives of these agencies being present at today’s event to engage students and youths on some of these their tech-driven systems, how they work and how they will reshape the future of maritime operations in Nigeria, you will agree with me that we are out for a serious business today, and it promises to be an insightful engagement and discourse for there will be paper presentations, panel discussions as well as questions and answers session to ensure we have clarity on all of these.
On this note, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I warmly welcome you to the 2025 AMSAY Conference. I welcome and appreciate all our Resource Persons who left their very busy schedules to be with us and allow maritime students tap from their wealth of experience once again. I welcome and appreciate all maritime schools and students who have come from far and near to be part of this year’s Conference. In no small measures, I also welcome and appreciate all our partners, supporters and volunteers of AMSAY Conference whose support in one way or the other made today’s occasion a reality.
Like a vessel manned by a competent captain and crew, I have no doubt that our competent chairman of occasion, our erudite guest speakers, moderators, panelists and other resource persons will do justice to the theme and topics of our today’s Conference. I therefore urge all students to listen attentively and participate actively so that at the end of the day, you will leave here better informed, super motivated and ready to achieve your goals and become the best you can be. May God Almighty bless every one of us and grant all our good desires as we discuss a better future for our youth.
Finally, permit me to congratulate in advance the would-be winners of the 4th Fola Ojutalayo’s Annual Maritime Speech-Making Competition; as well as the exceptional maritime students that will be honoured today with the Best Graduated Maritime Students Awards (BEGMASA), especially to that singular student that will emerge the Overall Best Graduated Maritime Student in Nigeria for the 2023 and 2024 academic years, I say big congratulations and bravo to you. Then to you in particular who have come to honour our invitation, thank you very kindly for comig. Please feel welcome as always, and God bless you all.
