Discourse on 2030 Agenda: How governance and digitalisation should drive sustainable development

On our programme ‘At The Marina Today,’  we begin the discussion on the Decade of Action towards 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in various aspects of society.

This is in accordance with the United Nations call for societies to accelerate sustainable solutions to address challenges facing humanity in different forms. And of great importance, for people to understand what the problems are and appreciate the role of responsible action by each person in the society.

On this maiden edition of the discussion, Barrister Temisan Omatseye, a former Director General of the  Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) talks on the importance of governance and the establishment of a digital economy in driving activities as we go into the Decade of Action for sustainable development, beginning from 2021 towards 2030.

Looking at the Decade of Action for Ocean Science, which is concerned primarily with SDG 14, Life Below Water, considers a need for the establishment of Peer Review Groups (for ocean literacy) that should be frontliners carrying out scientific investigations and working with units of oceanography institutions and with larger society to help citizens understand how best to interact with the seas and oceans for mutual benefits.

Ecosystems across Nigeria’s coastal areas are greatly impacted due to human activities close to the shorelines; dumping of all manner of pollutants including waste oil and plastics and other debris is common, thus causing the seas to be unhealthy.

Also, if the issue of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing is to be dealt with adequately, there will be need to improve on  governance  and the need for thorough data gathering and documentation for the benefit of understanding how best to manage the ocean resources sustainably for the well-being of the people and their economic development.

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