Stakeholders To Re-Examine Blue Economy Imperatives

BY KESIENNA SHPEHERDS

Stakeholders are set to take yet another deeper look at the nation’s maritime and allied sector as the New Experience Newspaper mark its Ninth Anniversary on Thursday, September 24, 2026, along its 5th Annual Lecture and Awards edition.

Organisers of the event disclosed that this year’s lecture and awards titled “Blue Economy in Action: Financing, Innovation and Policy for Nigeria’s Maritime Future” will hold at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos at 11:00am prompt.

Experience Newspaper stated that the discourse will focus on practical strategies to unlock investments, drive innovation and align policy frameworks required for Nigeria to maximize the economic potential of its maritime assets.

A statement by the organisers said a former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, now Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Chief Chamberlain Oyibo, will serve as Chairman of the occasion; in addition to delivering a Career Talk on “Challenges and the Future of the NNPC.”

Speaking ahead of the event, the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of The New Experience Newspaper, Prince Benson Davies, said the lecture and awards were designed to move conversations in the Nigerian maritime space beyond expressions of untapped potential to concrete actions.

“For nine solid years, The New Experience Newspaper has been committed to reporting the truth, amplifying industry voices and contributing to national development. As a nation, we must mobilize financing, embrace innovation and implement policies that will make Nigeria’s Blue Economy globally competitive,” Davies said.

The event will feature a Keynote Address, a Panel Discussion on the theme, Award Presentations, and a Photo Exhibition chronicling nine years of impact in the maritime and trade sector.

Award categories for 2026 include Maritime CEO of the Year, Best Government Agency in Maritime Regulation, Outstanding Terminal Operator, Innovation in Maritime Technology Award, Maritime Security Partner Award, Blue Economy Champion Award, Media Partner of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lead Partners and Sponsors for the 2026 edition are the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA; Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA; SIFAX Group; SAHCO PLC; and Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, NPERA.

Other supporters include Radio 103.5FM, Metro 97.7FM, Bond 92.9FM and key maritime, Crime, and aviation industry Others

Reflecting on the journey so far, Davies recalled that the second Annual Lecture in 2020, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted over 800 guests and set the agenda for maritime discourse with the theme, Corona Virus in Nigeria and Conspiracy Theory The Public Understanding.

Davies encouraged all stakeholders, government officials, media partners and members of the public to attend the event. “From Presken Hotel in Ikeja to Rockview Hotel in Apapa, our mission remains unchanged and that is for our guests and stakeholders to Experience the Truth,” he added.