Oyetola Seeks State, Private Sector Backing To Drive Blue Economy Policy
By Stella Enenche, Abuja
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments and the private sector to fast track the implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.
Oyetola who made the call on Thursday at the Second Quarter 2026 Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement in Lagos,said
sub-national governments hold the key to unlocking the sector’s full economic potential
He said the country must now move from policy formulation to practical implementation capable of delivering jobs, investment and sustainable economic growth.
The engagement, themed “From Policy to Action: Mobilising Sub-National Governments for Effective Implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” attracted government officials, development partners, diplomats, industry players and representatives of state governments.
According to the minister, many of Nigeria’s marine assets are located within states and local communities, making their active participation indispensable.
“We have moved beyond policy formulation. The task before us is implementation that delivers measurable economic benefits for Nigerians,” Oyetola said.
He added that the national policy provides “a strategic framework for harnessing Nigeria’s oceans, inland waterways, fisheries and coastal resources,” stressing that its success depends on coordinated action at all levels of government.
Highlighting recent gains in the maritime sector, Oyetola said reforms under President Bola Tinubu had improved stakeholder engagement, attracted investment and enhanced port efficiency.
According to a statement by the minister’s Special Adviser, Bolaji Akinola he noted that Tin Can Island Port and Lagos Port Complex ranked among the world’s most improved ports in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index.
He also disclosed that ongoing port modernisation and plans for new deep seaports in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos and Ondo states would strengthen Nigeria’s ambition of becoming West Africa’s leading maritime hub.
On inland waterway safety, the minister said the ministry had intensified collaboration with relevant agencies and state governments, distributed life jackets nationwide and urged states to replace unsafe wooden passenger boats with modern fibre boats.
In his keynote address, Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, described the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as a strategic step towards diversifying Nigeria’s economy.
Diri said Bayelsa created its own Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2024 to support the state’s development agenda and disclosed that the state had commenced large-scale fish production at the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village in Yenegwe while pursuing the proposed Agge Deep Seaport project.
He urged coastal states to establish dedicated marine ministries, enact enabling laws, secure their maritime domains, invest in data collection and develop skills, innovation hubs and logistics infrastructure.
“The blue economy offers enormous opportunities, but coastal states must take deliberate action to harness them,” the governor said.
Also speaking, President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, represented by Managing Director of Dangote Port Operations, Simeon Akin Omole, said sustained private sector participation would determine the success of the national policy.
He noted that the policy targets the creation of three million jobs within four years and annual sectoral growth of seven per cent.
According to Dangote, “Industrial transformation requires policy consistency, quality infrastructure, access to finance and investor confidence.”
He identified infrastructure-led industrialisation, value-chain development and stronger public-private partnerships as critical to unlocking the sector’s vast potential, adding that investments in fisheries, aquaculture, cold-chain logistics and export infrastructure could reduce Nigeria’s dependence on fish imports, conserve foreign exchange and generate over 500,000 jobs.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Borno states, lawmakers and private sector stakeholders, who pledged continued support for the implementation of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy agenda.
