APM Terminals, Apapa, has charged secondary school students to take interest in the maritime sector with a view to building rewarding careers in the sector.
The country’s chief executive officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke, disclosed this while speaking at APM Terminals Apapa, Lagos, over the weekend, during a career seminar on the maritime industry, as part of activities marking the 2024 Children’s Day.
Klinke, who said the industry offered exciting career opportunities for the future generation, encouraged the students to embrace hard work and diligence at all time.
He said APM Terminals hosted the career summit as its own contribution in grooming the next generation of maritime professionals ‘who would run this sector efficiently, ensuring its contribution to the national economy.’
Also speaking, the terminal manager of APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, commended the students for visiting the terminal and participating in the career summit. He said APM Terminals has a high number of female workers despite the fact that the maritime industry has traditionally been male dominated.
He encouraged the students to ‘be curious, open to opportunities, and not be afraid to try new things.’
The president, Ocean Ambassadors Foundation (OAF), Olaitan Williams, appreciated APM Terminals for the partnership, hospitality and facility provided for the seminar.
She said Nigeria is endowed with a long coastline that is capable of creating millions of jobs for the students, ‘but it is their duty to discover where they fit in.’
She enjoined the students to dream big and be futuristic in their career endeavours.
A logistics expert, Dr Ibrahim Adepoju, educated the students on the Cabotage Act and the Local Content Act, which he said opens up huge career and investment opportunities for Nigerians.
He said there are many areas that the students can venture into in the maritime industry. Such areas, according to him, include maritime law, marine engineering, accounting, insurance and many others.
Another speaker, Achenyo Obaro of MitiMeth, educated the students on how to produce dining wares, art decor, stationery, gifts and fashion accessories from harvested water hyacinth.
“A lot of you know about water hyacinths which are seen as waste and a challenge to navigation on inland waterways. We transform water hyacinths into beautiful artefacts. We have reached over 150 communities in Nigeria to get them involved in this project which creates massive job opportunities,” she said.
A ship surveyor, Albert Akerele, also educated the students on various facets of the maritime sector, assuring them of immense career opportunities in the sector.
The students were taken on a tour of the terminal where they saw container ships at berth and cargo handling operations. The students, drawn from various secondary schools in Lagos, expressed delight and appreciation to APM Terminals for hosting the career summit.
The event, tagged “Blue Talents School-to-Sea Program” was organised by Ocean Ambassadors Foundation (OAF) and APM Terminals Apapa to mark the 2024 Children’s Day.