The consul general of the Royal Danish Consulate, Jette Bjerrum, says Denmark will strengthen its partnership with Nigeria to boost the maritime sector, making it a preferred destination in Africa.

Ms. Bjerrum stated this during the 10th edition of the two-day Lagos International Maritime Week (LIMWEEK) on Tuesday. The theme of LIMWEEK 2025 is ‘Our Oceans, Our Seas, Our Obligation -Maximizing Africa’s Ocean’.

Ms Bjerrum said that a market like Nigeria could serve as a fertile ground for new technology tailored for a large-scale maritime environment.

She mentioned that Nigeria, with its dynamic youthful population, was poised to become one of the most important contributors to the global workforce. She said that Denmark had trained 16 countries, including Nigeria’s customs managers, to strengthen the maritime industry.

The consul general said that the Danish approach to education focused on equipping individuals with the skills needed to adapt to the demands of the future.

“From the Danish side, we see increasing maritime activities and with that, Nigeria should focus on improved safety, efficiency, and forming new partnerships. Your leadership has been instrumental in forging impactful partnerships and collaborative events like today.

“The impressive coastline also represents interesting private sector opportunities. The private sector initiative from Denmark, headed by APM Terminals, has already invested $1.2 billion in its port installations in Onne and the dry port in Kano. Also, they have just signed an MoU with the Nigeria Ports Authority, where they have committed 60 million dollars to fund the project,” she said.

Ms Bjerrum added that the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy of Nigeria , Bosun Tijani, visited Denmark three weeks ago to discuss satellite communication in the maritime sector.

She said that there was a need to find ways to fund and address the financial aspects of the infrastructure. She noted Denmark’s position as one of the leading maritime nations in the world, adding that about one-fourth of the Danish export originated from the Danish maritime sector.

Ms Bjerrum said that the standardisation of shipping in the 1960s and 1970s laid the groundwork for the globalisation of trade and led to the development of the Danish shipping industry.

“Denmark became a major player in global shipping with the founding of Mersk and the development of modern container ships. With that, a whole ecosystem of industries to support this major sector was developed.

“The latest data from January 2025 indicate that Denmark has maintained a position among the world’s ten largest maritime nations, and we’ve taken over the position from Germany, which is our very dear and close neighbour. Now we are ranked ninth. We are a small country with six million people, so it’s not for fun for us. We mean business when we talk about maritime,” Ms Bjerrum said.

(NAN)