Maritime Journalists Must Embrace Innovation, Probe Industry More Deeply — Okorefe
Kathy Kyari
Nigeria’s maritime journalists must move beyond routine news reporting and press conference coverage by embracing innovative journalism and asking difficult questions capable of driving accountability and development in the sector, maritime expert, Dr. Charles Okorefe, has said.
Okorefe made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Conference of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday.
Speaking on the theme, “The Power of Innovation in a Future-Ready Maritime Training Agenda,” Okorefe said innovation had become imperative if Nigeria’s maritime sector was to remain competitive in an increasingly technology-driven global maritime environment.
He said the choice of the conference theme was timely, given Nigeria’s strategic position in West and Central African maritime trade and its enormous marine resources.
According to him, Nigeria is estimated to account for about 70 per cent of international shipping and maritime trade across the West and Central African sub-region, including activities in oil and gas exploration, exploitation and export.
He also noted Nigeria’s critical role in maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, citing the country’s naval strength and the Deep Blue Project as factors that had contributed to improved security in the region since 2021.
“Given such latitude therefore, Nigeria is expected to be light years ahead of her immediate contemporaries in her quest for global maritime positioning and presence,” he said.
Okorefe, however, challenged stakeholders to confront the realities of technological and digital disruption by asking whether Nigeria was doing enough to transition from a reactive to a proactive maritime nation.
He posed three critical questions: “Where does Nigeria's maritime sector stand, presently, in the ever changing world of technological and digital disruptions?”
He further asked, “What are we doing differently now to change our narrative from being a reactionary entity to a pro-active one in the new global dispensation?”
He also questioned whether Nigeria would be able to stand among maritime nations that had successfully created niches for themselves in the years ahead.
Defining innovation as “the process of turning creative ideas into practical solutions that add new value, improve efficiency, or solve real-world problems,”
Okorefe said its ultimate objectives included increased efficiency, reduced waste and lower operational costs.
He urged stakeholders to apply innovation strategically to the development of Nigeria’s emerging Blue Economy, which encompasses fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and port operations, renewable energy, biotechnology and coastal infrastructure.
The maritime expert also drew attention to the opportunities available to Nigerian entrepreneurs under major international frameworks governing maritime activities, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the MARPOL Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said the conventions should not be viewed merely as regulatory instruments but also as potential sources of business and investment opportunities.
Under MARPOL, for instance, he identified opportunities in waste management, eco-friendly fuel supply, vessel compliance training, port reception facilities and recycling.
He similarly identified eco-tourism, mangrove restoration and biodiversity-friendly aquaculture as opportunities arising from the Convention on Biological Diversity.
On AfCFTA, Okorefe said Nigerian businesses could leverage the continental market to expand the export of processed seafood and aquaculture products while developing cross-border coastal logistics chains.
He stressed that the various international conventions represented “clear business signals” requiring innovative approaches to harness the opportunities presented by the Blue Economy.
Turning specifically to AMJON, Okorefe challenged maritime journalists to redefine their role in the industry.
“To the members of the Association of Maritime Journalist of Nigeria (AMJON), I commend you for the uncommon initiative of putting this impactful Conference together. However, I wish to challenge you to bend over backwards, to go to the deep and fish out new and innovative methods of impacting the Industry in your service delivery,” he said.
He argued that routine reportage was no longer sufficient to bring about meaningful change in the maritime sector.
“Simply churning out news reports and covering press conferences is no longer sufficient to actualize the change we are talking about,” he said.
Okorefe urged journalists to ask difficult and uncomfortable questions while maintaining objectivity, candour, courage and professional standards.
“You must begin to ask the very difficult and uncomfortable questions within the ambit of your professional calling, laced with objectivity, candour, efficient reportage and courage,” he said.
He added: “Scoops are always very difficult to come by, yet they represent the cutting-edge of journalism. Be innovative so that you can be scoop compliant.”
According to him, maritime journalists have a major responsibility to keep industry operators and key stakeholders accountable and constantly focused on the growth and development of the sector.
In his concluding remarks, Okorefe said Nigeria could no longer rely on traditional approaches to address the challenges confronting its maritime industry.
He identified Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, the Internet of Things, Robotics and Big Data among technologies capable of transforming maritime operations, while calling for increased investment in infrastructure, research and human capital development.
0 Comments