The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Fatima Mahmood, has urged the management of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to strengthen safety awareness and enhance human capital development, as well as service delivery across the inland waterways.

The permanent secretary made the call yesterday during a familiarisation meeting on NIWA’s operations and its programme alignment with the ministry’s mandate under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Mahmood commended NIWA for its efforts and emphasised the need to broaden safety sensitisation.

She urged the authority to take awareness campaigns to religious centres to reach more water users and operators.

The permanent secretary also encouraged closer collaboration with sister agencies, stronger engagement with the media for public enlightenment and regular updates to the Ministry on NIWA’s activities and progress.

The Acting Managing Director of NIWA, Yusuf Girei, alongside members of the management team, briefed Mahmood on the authority’s core mandate, vision and mission as well as key achievements and operational challenges.

He said NIWA has continued to roll out initiatives with visible impact in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Girei noted that the authority is sustaining collaboration with the private sector to enhance efficiency and expand service delivery.

According to him, such partnerships remain vital to unlocking the economic potential of inland waterways, while improving navigation, infrastructure and safety standards nationwide.