Bayelsa State Govt Signs MOU with Polish company to establish a Maritime Academy in the state.

Bayelsa State Govt Signs MOU with Polish company to establish a Maritime Academy in the state.

The partnership would translate into a transfer of knowledge, maritime technology and financial assistance from Poland to Nigeria.

The Bayelsa State Government on Friday signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with a Polish maritime company, Navimor International, on the establishment of a maritime academy in the state.The letter is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalised.

LOI is similar to a written contract but it is usually not binding on the parties in their entirety.Bayelsa Deputy Governor, John Jonah, signed on behalf of his state, while the Chairman of Navimor, Romuald Kinda, signed for his company at a Polish-Nigerian business and investment forum held in Abuja.Mr. Jonah told newsmen that the agreement was aimed at establishing a world-class academy that would drive local manpower development in Nigeria’s maritime industry.

He said that the choice of Poland was informed by the country’s well established and recognised maritime education sector.“The maritime industry is an international one. We want to affiliate with the well-established and well-recognised maritime academy in Poland.

This is to ensure that whatever we do would be in line with the standard they have established in their country.”The deputy governor explained that the partnership would translate into a transfer of knowledge, maritime technology and financial assistance from Poland to Nigeria.On his part, Mr. Kinda said that although modalities on the final agreement were being worked out, the project would take off in the next 18 months.

According to him, his company runs the 80-year-old Polish maritime academy and has the expertise to help Bayelsa build a world-class maritime institution.“We will jointly build an international standard maritime school in Bayelsa that would ensure the transfer of knowledge, infrastructure and technology which we have in Poland.

In this very moment, we have an academy in Gdyni where over 40 cadets from Rivers State in Nigeria have just been educated. The ambition of the Bayelsa State Government is to build its own maritime academy and system of education. I would like to say the deputy governor visited our academy in Poland and of course, he likes the system which we created over 100 years; our academy is over 80 years old. So, we have the experience and the know-how. Education is the future of Nigeria and we are determined to help in it,” he said.

Dignitaries at the forum included the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk; Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, businessmen and entrepreneurs from both countries.

Ebi Evinson

Coined from premium times online.