The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has been elected as the new Chairman of the Association of African Maritime Administrators (AAMA).

This is one of the decisions reached at the just concluded third conference of the association with the theme ‘Sustainable Use of Africa’s Oceans and Seas attended by 34 African countries held from April 19 to 21, 2017 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Mr. Bashir Jamoh, who addressed a media conference shortly after the event, said that the NIMASA DG would pilot affairs of AAMA for a period of one year tenure, as Egypt would host the next conference while South Africa retains the secretariat.

Meanwhile Namibia and Seychelles are jostling for the 2019 hosting right, as the chosen host could not be confirmed at the time of filing this report.

AAMA, a body of 34 African countries including Nigeria, unanimously elected Peterside at the conference jointly organised by NIMASA and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which drew attendance from maritime countries within the African continent and across the globe.

Peterside, takes over from Mr. Sobantu Tilayi, the acting Chief Executive Officer of South African Maritime and Safety Agency (SAMSA), who has been the acting Chair of the association since 2013.

His election comes barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the new NIMASA brand with a renewed interest by the government to grow the country's economy through her maritime resources.

At a well attended closing session, Tilayi, the outgoing Chairman described Peterside as a committed and dedicated technocrat that will, no doubt, take maritime administration to a higher level.

Many other participants expressed optimism in Peterside’s leadership ability to improve on the fortunes of the continent through concerted maritime collaboration that will attract interest of African states through their various Maritime Administrations (MARADs).

Within the last one year, Peterside has been able to improve on inter agency and inter government cooperation in the fight against piracy resulting to a reduction in incidences of piracy and sea robberies.

NIMASA under his watch has broaden the scope of maritime administration in Nigeria with an approval for regional headquarters to be sited in strategic maritime locations in the country including Port Harcourt.

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