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.
This was the high point of a three-day Seafarers’ and Cadets’ Wellbeing Awareness and Train the Trainers Programme with the theme, “Stress: Understanding, Early Management and Coping,” organised by NIMASA in collaboration with the ITF.
Speaking at the event, 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.
Represented by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Jibril Abba, he 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”.