Blue Economy: Nigeria, Tunisia Have Much to Learn from Each Other, Says Ex-Prime Minister

Okon Bassey in Uyo

A former Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mehdi Jomaa, has stressed that Nigeria and Tunisia have a lot to learn from each other in the development of their maritime potentials.

Homaa who was speaking on the sidelines of a summit on the development of the blue economy of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in Ikot Ekpene LGA, yesterday said the enormous challenges faced by both countries in the sector also have enormous opportunities.

The summit themed – Harnessing the Blue Economy Potentials for Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta – was put together by Dr. Uche Igwe, a communication expert and co-convener of the Niger Delta Investment Summit.

“I do believe, in the capacity of we Africans to build a nice future. We are at this point where there is a reconfiguration of the world, and it’s time to wake up, to stand up, and to walk for the future, to prepare the future.

“The maritime sector is one of the areas where we can hope the best growth in the continent. You know, it’s easy. It’s easy and difficult in the same. Let’s have a look on the successful countries and what they did. We will not go through the details, but I can summarize it in a few words.

“First, to get a real vision, what we want to do, the direction we have, and not to be focused only checking the daily troubles, which is important for the daily life of people. But without direction, whatever you do, even though you have the best boat in the world, you can miss the direction.

“So, it’s important to have the vision, but it’s not enough. Without vision, we cannot do anything. It’s not enough. It’s to have the team, the leadership,

“To leave that with the right organization and then to develop the capacity for implementation. That’s the biggest gap that we when we fail when we have a vision

“But we can miss our target if you don’t have a vision. But when you have a vision, you have to dedicate the right team for the implementation. If we have that, we have all the ingredients here. We have young people.

“You have a large market, you have a good elite, and you are aware of the situation and what to do. So that’s the successful case”, he stated.

In his remarks, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State said the lack of investors was responsible for the seeming abandonment of the Ibom Deep Seaport project.

Eno regretted the lack of investors was delaying the commencement of the Deep Sea Port.

The governor, represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Uko Udom, explained that all the regulations, certifications, and approvals required for the project have been met, and roads leading to the seaport proper was already under construction.

“Ibom Deep Seaport is not going to be a white elephant thing. I can assure you the work has gone very far. We’ve done all the regulatory imperatives that are on the ground.

“We have all the certifications, all the approvals required, and the roads under construction to lead to the seaport proper. This is the most natural seaport you can ever have in Nigeria. There’ll be no dredging of any sort.

“Originally, the Navy wanted to use it as the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command, but I don’t know what happened. We thank God they didn’t use it, because it will serve the entire region more as a deep seaport to direct traffic away from the congestion of Lagos and deal with Central African Republic as well as the hinterlands of Nigeria.

“We will work very hard to ensure it happens. It’s an investment that can only happen if we attract foreign investment in the course of building deep Seaport. Not only Nigeria as a nation can do it alone. We are still working to attract investment in that regard and I’m sure it will work out,” he stressed.

While speaking, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas described the summit as strategic and timely as the blue economy was pivotal to the nation’s pursuit of a diversified economy.

Abbas who was represented by Rear Admiral Sunday Atakpa at the event noted the sustainable development of the Niger Delta was connected to the effective governance and security of Nigeria’s maritime domain.

He said that the Nigerian Navy established the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria in June 2024 to drive the knowledge base for blue economy in Nigeria.