By Oluyinka Onigbinde
In an impassioned plea to the nation’s next generation of leaders, indigenous conglomerate SIFAX Group has called on young Nigerians to step into the driver’s seat of the country’s maritime transformation, stressing that Nigeria’s goal to reign as Africa’s ultimate blue economy powerhouse hinges not merely on coastlines or natural endowments, but on building a well-mentored, skilled, and visionary talent pipeline.
The charge was delivered on behalf of the Group Executive Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, by the Group Coordinating Director, Mrs. Wunmi Eniola-Jegede, at the 10th Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime (TAAM) Conference held at the University of Lagos.
The landmark gathering attracted more than 2,000 participants from government, academia, the maritime industry, and the private sector to commemorate a decade of one of Africa’s foremost student-led maritime platforms.
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Ten Tides of Impact: Raising a Generation to Position Nigeria as Africa’s Blue Giant,” Afolabi emphasized that Nigeria’s maritime future will be determined by its deliberate investment in human capital rather than relying solely on its natural advantages.
He directly confronted long-standing narratives surrounding the sector, noting that while the blue economy was historically described as a sleeping giant, the current moment calls for a bolder assertion that the giant is meant to rise, driven by the young minds gathered in the hall.
He urged the students to actively embrace mentorship, ask difficult questions, and rigorously prepare themselves for the complex demands of modern maritime leadership and governance.
What began a decade ago as a modest student initiative organized by the Maritime Forum at the University of Lagos in partnership with SIFAX Group has now grown into West Africa’s largest student-led maritime conference, serving as a vital bridge between classroom theory and real-world industry practice by directly connecting emerging scholars with policymakers, regulators, and commercial leaders.
Echoing the call for youth-driven innovation, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to placing young professionals at the center of the national maritime agenda through targeted investments in education, seafarer development, vessel financing, tech innovation, and maritime security.
Delivering a keynote address on behalf of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, the agency’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Chudi Offodile, outlined how strategic state programs including the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme, the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund, and the Blue Economy Accelerator Initiative are actively opening doors for young Nigerians to build global careers, own domestic vessels, launch technological solutions, and lead the nation’s blue economy expansion.
Beyond the executive addresses, this anniversary edition featured high-level policy dialogues and panel discussions on port automation and regional trade, alongside the flagship Blueprint Debate Competition, a nationally recognized platform where university students from across the country engaged in intellectual contests on critical governance and maritime policy issues, cementing the event’s role as a primary launchpad for Nigeria’s future ocean leaders.
