From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Area Manager of the Nigeria Inland Water Ways Authority, Calabar Area Office, Stanley Onouha, has called for increased investments to unlock the economic potential of the Calabar waterways. Onouha disclosed this in his office during a study tour by the Senior Executive Course 47 of the Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). “NIWA Calabar Area Office has enormous potential to help unlock the economy of the country and tap the benefits derivable from the blue economy.
“To achieve this, we need increased investments so that we can deliver on dredging on some specific water channels to increase traffic.
“This will also ensure greater infrastructure like jetties, ports and road network that lead to the ports in the area. These will attract investments into the area and unlock its economic potentials,” he said. He added that the area also has about 487km of waterways but noted that most of it is not navigable.
He also disclosed that the Calabar Area Office has not had issues of boat mishap because of increased advocacy to its stakeholders.
He thanked the visiting team on behalf of the managing director and staff of NIWA for deeming it fit to visit the Area Office on a study tour. The Team leader from Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Brig. General Lateef Jimoh, said the institute is the foremost think thank in Nigeria established over four decades ago.
He said its mandate is to conduct training for senior executives and seek solutions to topical challenges in Nigeria.
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