Our faculty member, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sabri Alkan, participated as a panelist in the “Türkiye–Nigeria Shipbuilding and Maritime Digital Showcase & Forum”, held on 5 August 2026.

The event brought together representatives from universities, maritime organizations, and industry from Türkiye and Nigeria. During the second panel, entitled “Technical Skills, Certification Standards, and Academia–Industry Cooperation,” discussions focused on the technical competencies required by the maritime industry, international certification standards, the development of a qualified workforce, and strengthening university–industry cooperation.

Moderated by Prof. İsmail Hakkı Helvacıoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Piri Reis University, the panel featured Prof. Dr. Savaş Dilibal from Istanbul Gedik University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi and Dr. Charles U. Orji from Rivers State University, Nigeria, our faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sabri Alkan, and Hüseyin Doğar from Türk Loydu as speakers.

In his remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sabri Alkan emphasized the critical importance of university–industry cooperation in educating and training the qualified workforce required by the shipbuilding and maritime industries. He highlighted the need to continuously update academic curricula in line with current industry requirements, technological transformation, and international competency standards. Alkan also underlined the importance of sustainable cooperation models based on practical training, workplace-based education, joint research projects, industry-oriented certification programs, and knowledge sharing.

The panel also explored potential areas of cooperation between Türkiye and Nigeria in maritime education and research. It was noted that student and academic mobility, joint academic programs, collaborative research projects, vocational and technical training activities, and capacity-building initiatives for the maritime sector could make significant contributions to strengthening relations between the two countries.

The event provided a valuable platform for Türkiye and Nigeria to exchange knowledge and experience in the fields of shipbuilding, maritime education, digitalization, and human resource development, while also contributing to the establishment of new partnerships between academia and industry.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all institutions and organizations that contributed to the organization of the event, particularly the Turkish Shipbuilders’ Association (GİSBİR) and Nigeria Türkiye Business Council Ltd/Gte.