NIMASA, ITF sign MoU to boost wellbeing of seafarers

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting the mental health and wellbeing of Nigerian seafarers and cadets through training, awareness and capacity building.

The MoU signing, the first of it in Africa, took place in Lagos at a three-day Seafarers’ and Cadets’ Wellbeing Awareness and Train the Trainers Programme with the theme “Stress: Understanding, Early Management and Coping.”

The MoU was signed by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, NIMASA, Mr Jibril Abba, and the ITF Africa Regional Secretary, Mr Safiyanu Dauda Mohammed.

Speaking at the event organised by NIMASA in collaboration with the ITF, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, disclosed that the partnership would support capacity building and the integration of the wellbeing module into maritime training curricula, with plans to make seafarer wellbeing a permanent component of preparations for life at sea.

The Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, NIMASA, Mr Jibril Abba, who represented Dr. Dayo Mobereola, said “seafarers’ wellbeing is essential to safe shipping and NIMASA is committed to protecting maritime workers’ welfare. This programme would equip maritime training institutions, agency officers and union partners with the skills to identify and manage stress and provide psychological first aid when necessary.”

He emphasised the importance of addressing the psychological challenges associated with life at sea, including stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. Citing a 2019 study commissioned by the ITF in collaboration with Yale University, he noted that one in four seafarers surveyed showed signs of depression, while approximately one in six exhibited signs of anxiety.

Also speaking, the ITF Africa Regional Secretary, Mr Safiyanu Dauda Mohammed, who signed the MoU on behalf of ITF noted that this MoU was the first of its kind that the ITF was going into with any country in Africa.

According to him, “it is very exciting for me because it is the first in Africa, and we are starting with Nigeria. Seafarers are very critical workers in the maritime sector. So it is very important to prioritise their wellbeing and welfare, to mitigate their anxiety and depression”.

In his remarks, the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Francis Bunu, applauded the development, saying “we need seafarers to be mentally sound while doing their job and that is why today is a very significant day for the seafarer in Nigeria.”

Also present at the event were the National President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Chief Engr Bob Joseph Yousou; ITF Wellbeing Coordinator, Dr Asif Altaf; and ITF Inspector, Mr Hamani Amadou among several other stakeholders.

The training programme highlights the growing need to re-focus attention on the health and mental wellbeing of seafarers who work in difficult situations and endure extended periods away from their families and loved ones.

This collaboration reinforces NIMASA and ITF’s commitment to strengthening seafarer welfare through sustained training, institutional cooperation and improved mental health support, recognising that a healthy seafarer is a safe seafarer.