ADVANCING INDIGENOUS SHIP BUILDING IN NIGERIAN MARITIME INDUSTRY: STRATEGIES FOR BRIDGING THE GAP

Abstract

It is the desire of every maritime nation to harness to the fullest the enormous benefits that accrues from themaritime industry. Maritime administration encompasses the regulation of trade to security and safety of livesand properties (investments) in the industry. By the provisions of Nigerian law, ship building is an exclusivereserve for Nigerian nationals. This is in recognition of the importance of this aspect of the maritime industry,especially in terms of accruable economic benefits and employment generation potential to the nation. Thispaper in discussing the concept of ship building and indigenous ship building gap found that Nigerian nationalsare confronted with a number of challenges bedeviling the growth of ship building industry in Nigeria, thecapital intensity and density contributes to the dearth of indigenous capacity. However, lack of governmentsupport is what accounts for the insufficiency in domestic ship building capacity. Contracting therefore canbecome a strategic tool, in the meantime, to galvanise, bridge and link the gap created. Amongst other things,the paper however recommended a legislative intervention to regulate the use of special purpose vehicles in theindustry to preserve maritime policy expectations and not to be used as conduit to dissipate industry policyaspirations.