A coalition of indigenous maritime tourism and transportation investors has signalled its readiness to partner with the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to unlock investment opportunities in Nigeria’s largely untapped waterfront tourism and hospitality sector.
The group, Allied Concessionaries and Blue Economy Alliance, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engineer Sarat Braimah, at the agency’s Lagos office on Tuesday.
Speaking during the visit, Chairman of the coalition, Mr. Bolaji Olasade, described the alliance as a consortium of experienced and tested operators, mostly concessionaires, committed to transforming Nigeria’s inland waterways into vibrant hubs for tourism, recreation and safe water transportation.
He explained that the group was formed to drive strategic investments that would open up coastal and littoral communities in Lagos and other parts of the country to new economic opportunities through destination marketing, resort promotion and integrated marine transport services.
According to him, the coalition is not a conventional association, but a partnership of serious investors willing to collaborate with NIWA to expand inland waterways tourism infrastructure and reposition Nigeria’s brown water and blue economy potential.
“We are here to formally introduce our coalition and express our willingness to work with NIWA in growing and developing inland waterways tourism infrastructure. Our focus is to help unlock the huge but untapped waterfront hospitality and tourism trade,” Olasade said.
Also speaking, Secretary of the group, Barrister Dorcas Aderemi, stressed that sustainable growth in the marine and blue economy sector depends on proper alignment of the inland waterways ecosystem for structured investment and funding.
She called for a clear public-private engagement framework between NIWA and private operators to fast-track development of inland waterways transportation and tourism infrastructure, noting that such collaboration would enhance government revenue generation and contribute to national development.
The delegation commended Engineer Braimah for her leadership in Lagos, particularly her strict enforcement of safety standards and zero tolerance for boat mishaps and security breaches on the waterways. They also congratulated her on her recent Nelson Mandela Pan-African Leadership Award, describing it as recognition of her commitment to service delivery.
In her response, the NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engineer Braimah welcomed the group and assured them of NIWA’s readiness to work with credible private sector investors to deepen waterways development.
She acknowledged the critical role of private operators in achieving NIWA’s mandate, stating that the Authority cannot function in isolation without strong collaboration with financially committed stakeholders.
Braimah said the proposals presented by the coalition would be escalated to NIWA headquarters in Abuja for further consideration, particularly in areas that would enable the introduction of modern boats and ferries to gradually phase out obsolete watercraft.
She further urged members of the coalition to maintain unity and avoid internal conflicts, emphasizing that their efforts should ultimately deliver measurable benefits to littoral communities and strengthen Nigeria’s inland waterways transportation and tourism ecosystem.
