By Linus Aleke
The European Union (EU), has begun a 5-day capacity building for top management staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Nigerian Port Authorities (NPA), on crisis management, as part of an effort to guarantee the security and safety of seaports in Nigeria.
The EU project code named, “Western and Central Africa Port Security (WeCAPS), is been implemented by Expertise France, with the aim of improving port security and safety in West and Central Africa.
The Communication Expert for the project, Ms Marion Piccio, in a statement, said, sensitive sites, and port facilities require perfect control of the risks and threats likely to affect them.
She said, managing a crisis in a port facility requires specific preparedness from the authorities, as the consequences can be significant on a human, material, and environmental level.
“In this regard, the WeCAPS project is organizing a crisis management training at the Apapa port complex in Lagos, Nigeria, to prepare port decision-makers and administrations for the management of a crisis,” she said.
Ms. Piccio, disclosed that the training was designed for managers of the Nigerian Port Authorities and NIMASA who would be mobilized within the crisis unit of the port and aims at acquiring a common vision of the risks and the resources that can be mobilized, constituting a crisis team, training this team in crisis communication and through a tabletop exercise.
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The statement noted that Maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and more specifically port security through the WeCAPS project are key priorities for the European Union.
The statement further reads: “In Lagos, the port authorities are also well aware of these issues and of the importance of such training to be able to respond to all kinds of crisis situations in the best possible way. Through this training, the WeCAPS project shows the European Union’s will to help partner ports and related government services in Nigeria, and in West and Central Africa, to anticipate, prevent and manage crises, with a constant wish for proposing solutions adapted to their needs. In the future, the project will organize strategic crisis management training at an inter-ministry level and tactical training for first responders (first aid, fire, anti-pollution, etc.) in the port of Lagos”.
The project, the spokesperson said is part of the Critical Maritime Routes (CMR) program, European Union-funded framework action that aims to improve the safety and security of maritime routes in the Gulf of Guinea and the wider Indian Ocean.
