Dangote: Maritime industry must innovate, collaborate to stay globally competitive

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The maritime industry must embrace continuous innovation, stronger collaboration and sustained investment in human capital if Nigeria is to remain competitive in the rapidly changing global maritime economy, the Managing Director, Ports Operations Strategic Unit of Dangote Industries Limited, Akin Omole, has said.

Omole said the future competitiveness of Nigeria’s maritime sector would depend on the ability of stakeholders to move beyond traditional approaches and continuously develop new ways of improving infrastructure, operational processes, technology and workforce capacity.

He made the assertion at the 2026 Maritime conference and Awards organised by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, with the theme, “The Power of Innovation in a Future-Ready Maritime Training Agenda.”

According to him, the theme could not have come at a more appropriate time, given the rapid transformation taking place across the global maritime industry.

He said technological advancement, changing patterns of international trade and increasing competition among ports and maritime destinations were putting pressure on countries to improve efficiency and deliver services that meet global standards.

Omole maintained that Nigeria could not afford to remain on the sidelines of these developments, stressing that innovation must become an integral part of the country’s maritime development strategy.

The Dangote executive cautioned against viewing innovation merely as the acquisition of modern equipment or the deployment of digital platforms.

While technology remains an important driver of transformation, he said innovation should also encompass infrastructure, human capital, operational procedures and institutional relationships.

He explained that sophisticated technology would have limited impact if the infrastructure supporting it was inadequate or if personnel lacked the knowledge and competence to use it effectively.

For this reason, he urged maritime stakeholders to adopt a broader understanding of innovation that focuses on solving real operational problems and delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, safety and productivity.

According to him, innovation should ultimately translate into shorter turnaround times, better cargo movement, improved safety standards, reduced operational costs and enhanced service delivery across the maritime value chain.

He said stakeholders should therefore continually examine existing processes and ask how they could be redesigned to make Nigeria’s maritime industry more efficient and competitive.

Omole also identified collaboration among maritime stakeholders as critical to overcoming some of the industry’s longstanding challenges.

He called for closer cooperation among government agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, port users, training institutions and other players in the maritime ecosystem.

He noted that the different stakeholders possess expertise and resources that could complement one another if effectively coordinated.

According to him, government agencies cannot solve all maritime challenges independently, just as private-sector operators cannot achieve sustainable growth without an enabling regulatory and infrastructural environment.

He therefore advocated stronger dialogue between regulators and operators to ensure that policies and regulations take operational realities into consideration.

He also encouraged private-sector players to share knowledge, experiences and innovative solutions that could contribute to improving the performance of the wider industry.

Omole said a more integrated approach would help eliminate bottlenecks and ensure that improvements in one part of the maritime chain were not undermined by inefficiencies elsewhere.

Another major component of Omole’s intervention was the development of competent maritime professionals capable of working effectively in an increasingly technology-driven industry.

He said investment in technology must go hand in hand with investment in people, noting that modern equipment could only deliver its full value when operated by properly trained personnel.

He consequently stressed the need for continuous training, retraining and professional development across the maritime sector.

According to him, training institutions must evolve with the industry and equip professionals with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to operate emerging technologies.

He advocated training programmes that prepare maritime workers not only for today’s systems but also for future developments in the industry.

With automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies changing the nature of maritime operations, he said Nigeria needed a workforce capable of adapting to these changes.

He further stressed that the country must develop professionals who can deploy technology to solve operational challenges rather than simply operate technological systems.

For Omole, the ultimate measure of innovation should be its contribution to competitiveness.

He said Nigeria’s maritime sector must be able to provide services that compare favourably with those available in other leading maritime destinations.

This, he noted, would require stakeholders to focus on efficiency, reliability, safety, cost-effectiveness and professionalism.

He said Nigeria’s strategic location, extensive coastline and waterways, large consumer market and position as a major regional economy gave it significant maritime opportunities.

However, these advantages, he cautioned, would not automatically translate into economic benefits without an efficient maritime system capable of supporting trade and attracting investment.

A globally competitive maritime industry, he said, could generate significant benefits beyond ports and shipping by supporting logistics, manufacturing, employment, international trade and other areas of the economy.

He therefore urged stakeholders to treat maritime development as a collective responsibility.

The AMJON summit’s focus on innovation in maritime training, he said, was particularly important because the sector’s technological transformation was creating new demands for skills and competencies.

Omole stressed that closer interaction between industry and training institutions was necessary to ensure that graduates and maritime professionals possessed skills that matched actual industry requirements.

Such collaboration, he said, would help close the gap between classroom knowledge and workplace realities while ensuring that training programmes remained relevant to changing operational demands.

He also urged companies to support professional development and provide opportunities for workers to acquire practical experience.

According to him, building a future-ready maritime workforce requires a sustained commitment rather than occasional training interventions.

Omole’s call comes against the backdrop of a global maritime industry increasingly shaped by technology, environmental concerns, changing trade patterns and heightened expectations for efficiency.

For Nigeria, he said, adapting to these developments was not an option but a necessity.

He urged stakeholders to develop a culture in which innovation becomes continuous rather than occasional, while collaboration becomes a normal part of solving industry-wide challenges.

He said government, businesses and professional institutions must work together to identify emerging challenges and develop solutions before they become major constraints to growth.

The Dangote executive maintained that Nigeria possessed the potential to build a maritime sector capable of competing internationally, but achieving that goal would require sustained investment in infrastructure, technology and people.

He said the industry must also create an environment where new ideas could be tested, successful innovations scaled and stakeholders encouraged to contribute to sectoral development.

Ultimately, Omole’s message was that Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness would not be determined by technology alone.

Rather, it would depend on how effectively the country combines innovation, skilled manpower, modern infrastructure, efficient processes and collaboration to create a maritime system capable of meeting both present and future demands.

He said sustained innovation and collective action remained essential to building a safer, more efficient and globally competitive maritime industry that could make a stronger contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth.