In a bid to reduce carbon emissions to the barest minimum in the nation’s maritime sector, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency has showcased a pioneering Public-Private Partnership model for African maritime decarbonisation with the establishment of the Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System at the 2025 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Balem, Brazil.

According to a Sunday statement by the Deputy Director/Head, Public Relations at NIMASA, Osagie Edward, the agency made the presentation on the sidelines of the conference at an event it hosted.

The statement added that the event highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to advancing the International Maritime Organisation’s energy transition strategies through digital innovations.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said that the agency has been consistent in its efforts for energy transition in the maritime industry in Nigeria, which has led to this pioneer initiative.

Mobereola, who was represented at the event by the Director, Marine Environment Management Department at NIMASA, Dr Oma Ofodile, explained that the agency has been at the forefront of coordinated efforts in advancing the IMO energy transition strategies through digital innovation, which is expected to transform ambition into measurable progress.

“At COP 28, NIMASA launched the need for an African Coalition in achieving the IMO GHG emissions reduction strategies, while at COP 29, the agency brought together expert panel discussants and presented the agency’s efforts toward having a verifiable Nigerian maritime emissions inventory.

This was done in collaboration with the University College London (UCL) research group, aimed at preparing and showing Nigeria’s readiness towards achieving a low-carbon shipping and maritime sector.

At COP 30 this year, NIMASA formally presented the Nigerian Maritime Continuous Emissions Monitoring System, developed in collaboration with a team of researchers from UCL, and actively discussed tangible efforts of the agency in advancing the IMO energy transition strategies,” the DG said.

Speaking at the event, the representative of the IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Roel Hoeders, commended NIMASA for putting together the novel session to deepen discussion and provide a strategic outlook on how Africa can navigate the challenges of shipping energy transition.

The side event featured expert speakers from IMO, University College London, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania maritime administrations; Lagos State Ministries of Planning and Budget; Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy; and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), among others.

A key expectation for UNFCCC COP 30 is to reach an agreement on indicators for measuring progress towards the Global Goal on Adaptation that was established in the Paris Agreement. This would be the culmination of a process meant to narrow down a set of 100 indicators that match the 11 targets of the 2023 GGA Framework.

The IMO has long recognised that international shipping contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. According to its estimates, maritime transport accounted for nearly 2.9 per cent of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions in 2018.

Against that backdrop, the IMO has adopted a number of strategies over the years to reduce its climate impact. One of the key early regulatory moves was in 2011, when IMO introduced mandatory energy efficiency measures under MARPOL Annexe VI, including the Energy Efficiency Design Index for new ships and a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan for all ships. Later, in 2016, IMO established a data collection system requiring ships over 5,000 gross tonnage to report their fuel consumption.