Nigeria's maritime agency and a global federation of transport unions signed an agreement on seafarers' mental health on Monday, 26 October 2026. The signing took place in Lagos. Nigerian newspapers Tribune and Daily Sun reported that it is the first agreement of this kind in Africa.
The agency is NIMASA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency. The union federation is the ITF, the International Transport Workers' Federation. The agreement is a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This is a written agreement to work together.
What the agreement does
The signing opened a three-day training course in Lagos. Its title is "Stress: Understanding, Early Management and Coping". It uses the ITF's own wellbeing lessons.
The course trains teachers from Nigerian maritime schools and colleges, NIMASA officers and union members.
They learn to see signs of stress early, to manage stress, and to give psychological first aid. This is simple first help for a person in mental distress.
It is a "training of trainers" course. Each person must teach what they learn to cadets and seafarers.
The MoU will help put the wellbeing lessons into the normal study programme of Nigerian maritime schools.
Lagos is the first step. NIMASA plans to take the course to Port Harcourt next. The aim is to reach almost all maritime schools in Nigeria.
When the teachers finish their training, NIMASA will publish a Marine Notice. This is an official notice to the shipping industry. It will make the wellbeing lessons a permanent part of training for Nigerian seafarers.
Why NIMASA says it matters
NIMASA Director-General Dr Dayo Mobereola spoke through Jibril Abba, the agency's Executive Director for Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services. He said training in Nigeria has focused for many years on technical skills. Much less attention went to the wellbeing of seafarers and cadets.
He listed the pressures of life at sea. These include long working hours, poor sleep, long time away from family, crews from many countries and hard working conditions. If nobody deals with them, he said, they can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, burnout and drug or alcohol misuse. In the worst cases they can lead to loss of life.
He mentioned a 2019 study by the ITF and Yale University. In that study, one in four seafarers showed signs of depression. About one in six showed signs of anxiety.
He also reminded people that the STCW Convention asks seafarers to know "Care for Persons Onboard". This includes seeing when a crewmate is in distress and knowing where to find help. STCW is the international convention on seafarers' training and certificates.
"A healthy seafarer is a safe seafarer, and a safe seafarer is the strength of our maritime industry." (NIMASA Director-General Dr Dayo Mobereola, speech read by Jibril Abba, as reported by Tribune)
Union leaders also attended. They included ITF Africa Regional Secretary Safiyanu Daudu Mohammed and Francis Bunu, President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria. Bob Joseph Yousuo, President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, was there too.
What it means for crews
Nigerian cadets will learn about stress and mental health as a normal part of their training, not only technical skills.
Teachers, NIMASA officers and union staff will be better able to notice when a seafarer needs help.
Every seafarer can use the same idea on board. Watch for crewmates who stop talking, sleep badly or seem very low, and talk to them.
You do not have to wait for a course. The ITF's Mind At Sea campaign brings short wellbeing talks into ship visits by ITF inspectors.
If you feel low or anxious, you can contact SeafarerHelp. It is a free, confidential helpline for seafarers and their families, open 24 hours a day, in many languages. Phone +44 20 7323 2737, or use live chat, WhatsApp or email.
Cover photo: The cargo ship Arnica at Apapa port in Lagos, Nigeria, May 2017. Illustrative photo, not from this story. Photo: Quadrex24/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: Tribune Online: NIMASA, ITF sign Africa's first MoU on seafarers' wellbeing, mental health (26 Oct 2026), Daily Sun: NIMASA, ITF sign Africa's first MoU on seafarers' wellbeing, mental health (26 Oct 2026), ITF: 'Mind At Sea' campaign to protect seafarers' mental health goes global, ISWAN SeafarerHelp: contact the helpline.
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