NIMASA Targets Young Innovators With Maritime Hackathon, Rewards Quiz Winners
Oru Leonard
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced plans to launch a hackathon designed to identify, support and nurture young Nigerian innovators with technology-driven solutions for the maritime sector and blue economy.
The initiative was disclosed during the NIMASA Day activities at the Abuja International Trade Fair, where the agency also engaged youths and other visitors in a maritime quiz and rewarded participants who demonstrated knowledge of Nigeria’s maritime industry.
Representing the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, at the event, Mrs Nneka Obianyor said the proposed hackathon would create an avenue for young Nigerians to develop innovative solutions to challenges confronting the maritime industry.
According to her, the programme is expected to build a pipeline of young innovators whose ideas could support the growth, efficiency and competitiveness of Nigeria’s maritime sector.
She said NIMASA’s participation in the trade fair was also aimed at taking the agency’s programmes, reforms and opportunities directly to members of the public, particularly young Nigerians.
Obianyor explained that the maritime sector had relevance beyond Nigeria’s coastal communities, noting that Abuja residents and other Nigerians were connected to the sector through goods imported and exported through the country’s seaports.
She also highlighted the importance of the blue economy, describing it as a sector capable of creating opportunities in employment, investment, entrepreneurship and technological innovation.
As part of the NIMASA Day programme, the agency organised a quiz competition to test participants’ knowledge of maritime affairs, the blue economy, maritime safety and security, as well as NIMASA’s regulatory responsibilities.
Successful participants received gifts, with the quiz providing an interactive platform for educating young Nigerians about the importance of the maritime sector to the national economy.
The agency said the engagement was part of efforts to broaden public understanding of maritime activities and make information about opportunities in the sector more accessible.
Earlier, the Head of NIMASA Abuja Zonal Office, Umar Buba, said the agency’s participation in the trade fair was intended to strengthen its relationship with the public and maritime stakeholders.
Buba encouraged visitors to engage NIMASA officials, seek information about opportunities in the maritime sector and offer feedback that could contribute to improving the agency’s regulatory functions.
The planned hackathon is expected to further deepen NIMASA’s engagement with young Nigerians by providing a platform for technology, creativity and entrepreneurship to be applied to challenges and opportunities within the maritime industry.
