By Sylvanus OBASI
The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), Lagos, has held a two-day national capacity-building workshop aimed at empowering end-users with modern digital tools for effective monitoring of oil spill impacts in Nigeria’s coastal zones.
The workshop, themed “Empowering End-Users with Digital Tools for Monitoring Oil Spill Impacts in Coastal Areas,” took place from June 16 to 17, 2025, at Parklane Hotel, Ajao Estate, Ikeja, Lagos.
The event formed part of NIOMR’s collaboration under the Marine and Coastal Areas Management in North and West Africa (MarCNoWA) initiative, a component of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Africa Program, which promotes the use of Earth Observation (EO) technologies to enhance environmental governance and marine resource management.
In his welcome address, the Director of NIOMR, Prof Sule Abiodun emphasized the need for continuous innovation in oil spill monitoring, noting that traditional methods are often limited by poor coverage and delayed response times.
He said the workshop was designed to introduce stakeholders to modern digital tools that can provide real-time data for efficient spill tracking and response planning.
Participants were introduced to the MarCNoWA Web Portal and the Copernicus Marine Service Portal, two digital platforms that provide satellite-based monitoring of oil spills, sheen behavior, and migration patterns. These platforms, he noted, enable faster detection, mapping, and reporting of spill incidents.
The workshop addressed the recurring problem of oil spills in Nigeria’s coastal communities, especially in the Niger Delta, where industrial activities, shipping, and offshore operations continue to cause significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts.
Over 30 end-users, including environmental officers, researchers, community monitors, and representatives of NGOs, participated in the hands-on training sessions focused on digital mapping, remote sensing applications, and web-based monitoring tools.
Key objectives of the program included building technical capacity among participants, promoting community-based reporting systems, and encouraging data-driven policy interventions for coastal protection.
Experts from NIOMR, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and academic institutions such as the University of Port Harcourt and Niger Delta University led various technical sessions and live demonstrations.
According to NIOMR, the use of Earth Observation (EO) tools would strengthen early warning systems, support disaster preparedness, and enhance collaboration among government agencies and local communities in tackling oil pollution.
Participants commended the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention to improve their operational efficiency in detecting and managing oil spill incidents. Many expressed optimism that the skills acquired would help improve coastal resilience and inform environmental policy decisions.
At the end of the training, NIOMR reiterated its commitment to advancing the use of digital technologies for sustainable marine management and reaffirmed its partnership with MarCNoWA and GMES Africa in supporting national and regional ocean governance.
The two-day workshop concluded with a call for stronger inter-agency collaboration and increased investment in technological tools to protect Nigeria’s coastal ecosystems from oil spill hazards.
PHOTO CAPTION: Participants undergoing hands-on training on digital tools for monitoring oil spill impacts in coastal areas using the MarCNoWA Web Portal developed by the University of Ghana.
