IJMSMT · Original Research Article Vol. 1, No. 1 (October 2026), pp. 23–29
Inland Waterways, Coastal Transport and Related Supply Chains

ENHANCING INLAND WATERWAY SAFETY AS A CATALYST FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Stephen Emuejevoke Ovwromoh* — University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
* Corresponding author: seovwromoh@yahoo.com
Published: 22 October 2026 •Received: 20 Aug 2026 •Accepted: 21 Sep 2026 •DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23558452 • Licence: CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Nigeria’s inland waterways have significant potential to support trade, agriculture, tourism, employment, connectivity, and sustainable economic development, but persistent safety challenges which include boat accidents, overloading, poor vessel maintenance, weak regulatory enforcement, and inadequate navigational infrastructure limit their effectiveness. This paper examines the relationship between inland waterway safety and economic development in Nigeria using a qualitative policy-analysis approach based on secondary data. Guided by a risk-governance and systems perspective, the study views safety as the outcome of interactions among regulation, infrastructure, vessel standards, human behaviour, environmental conditions, institutional coordination, and emergency response. The analysis shows that weak safety governance increases transport risks and costs, undermines public confidence, discourages investment, and constrains trade, tourism, and market access. It argues that improving safety through stronger regulation, modern infrastructure, vessel inspection, operator training, digital monitoring, and effective search-and-rescue systems can enhance the reliability and economic contribution of inland water transport. The paper therefore recommends an integrated safety-governance strategy that treats inland waterway safety as a core component of Nigeria’s transport and economic-development policy.


Keywords: Inland WaterwaysWaterway SafetyEconomic DevelopmentTransportationPolicy AnalysisRisk Governance
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