Commissioner Nagbe Emphasizes Training to Prep Liberians’ Maritime Labor Competitiveness

He disclosed that the ribbon cutting ceremony coincided with the passage of an amendment to the LOSCR and Government of Liberia agreement by both Houses of the Liberian Legislature on Thursday, November 18, 2021 with the aim of addressing the low presence of Liberian seafarers on vessels flying the West African nation’s flag; expand the country’s maritime program and eventually bring more money.

To put President George Manneh Weah’s vision for the maritime sector into motion, Commissioner Nagbe said all of students who graduated from the Liberia Maritime Training Institute (LMTI) have been hired to work on vessels on sea across the world while others are working with shipping companies at the Freeport of Monrovia.

“If we are the second largest registry in the world and first in Africa, then why is it that there is no direct effects on the lives of Liberians in terms of having a lot of Liberian seafarers on vessels? So this new agreement proposed by the President and passed by the Legislature will address that; expand the country’s maritime program and bring more money to Liberia. So we are pleased that the Liberian Senate and House of Representatives agreed to pass the new law that would give chance and opportunities to Liberians,” he stated.

He averred that in addition to the recent graduates being employed, there are 25 students at the Regional Maritime University in Ghana undergoing undergraduate studies in different areas of the maritime industry to augment their competitive edge in the maritime sector giving the fact that training is a vital component for employability. “We are making progress,” Commissioner Nagbe pointed out.

The LiMA Boss urged Liberians of all walks of life to take cognizance of the transformation taking place in Liberia under the leadership of President Weah in spite of the political spectacles they wear.

He emphasized that there are tangible evidence of the gains being made under current government especially in infrastructure and the growth in the National Budget.

According to Commissioner Nagbe, key public corporations are adhering the President’s mandate for all government parastatals to build their own headquarters and put an end to rentals: the National Port Authority (NPA), the Liberia Petroleum Refining Company (LPRC) have taken the lead while the Liberia Maritime Authority would be cutting ribbons to his new headquarters as well.

Speaking as special guest of the ribbon cutting ceremony, President George Manneh Weah said he is thankful to LISCR for maintaining growth in the Liberian maritime program despite the challenges that abound -a testament of the quality of services LISCR provides.

“I charge you to build a multipurpose state of the art building that will host your offices that would be truly representative of your status. No Liberian should be left behind,” the Liberian leader told the country’s shipping registry agent.

In remarks, the Managing Director of LISCR, Abraham Avir Zaidenburg said the ribbon cutting ceremony marks a significant milestone in the history of LISCR operations in Liberia.

“We invested much in this building with the aim of providing a conducive working environment for our employees that would enable us step up our service delivery to our customers, shipowners and other customers around the world. We seek to continuously enhance our services and continue to modernize with the ultimatum goal of become the number one shipping registry in the world, soonest time possible,” he indicated.