Oyetola Seeks Stronger State Partnership To Drive Nigeria’s Blue Economy

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and development partners to accelerate the implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.

Speaking on Thursday at the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s second quarter 2026 Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement in Lagos, Oyetola said sub-national governments were critical to unlocking the country’s vast marine resources and ensuring the policy translated into measurable economic gains.

The engagement, themed “From Policy to Action: Mobilising Sub-National Governments for Effective Implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” brought together government officials, diplomats, development partners, academics and industry leaders.

Oyetola said Nigeria had moved beyond policy formulation and must now focus on implementation capable of attracting investment, creating jobs, strengthening food security and promoting environmental sustainability.

He noted that many of the country’s marine and coastal assets were located within states and communities, making state governments indispensable partners in the development of the sector.

The minister said reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had improved stakeholder engagement, attracted investment, enhanced maritime safety and boosted the competitiveness of Nigerian ports.

He cited the 2025 Container Port Performance Index by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, which ranked Tin Can Island Port as the world’s tenth most improved port and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, as the twelfth most improved between 2020 and 2025.

According to him, ongoing port modernisation and plans to develop new deep seaports in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos and Ondo states would further strengthen Nigeria’s position as West Africa’s preferred maritime hub.

Oyetola added that improved port operations had helped Nigeria maintain a national trade surplus since 2024.

He also urged coastal states to align their development plans with the national policy and replace unsafe wooden passenger boats with modern fibre boats to improve safety on inland waterways.

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri, who delivered the keynote address, described the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as a strategic move to diversify Nigeria’s economy.

He said Bayelsa had established its own Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in June 2024 and had begun large-scale fish production at the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village in Yenegwe, while pursuing the proposed Agge Deep Seaport project.

Diri 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.

In a presentation delivered on behalf of Dangote Industries Limited President and Chief Executive, Aliko Dangote, Managing Director of Dangote Port Operations, Simeon Akin Omole, said sustained private sector participation was essential to achieving the policy’s objectives.

He said the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy targets the creation of three million jobs within its first four years, annual sectoral growth of seven per cent and the reservation of at least half of new jobs for young people aged between 18 and 35.

Omole identified infrastructure-led industrialisation, value-chain development and stronger public-private partnerships as key drivers of growth, adding that investments in fisheries, aquaculture, cold-chain logistics and export infrastructure could significantly reduce Nigeria’s fish import bill while creating more than 500,000 jobs.

Goodwill messages were delivered by the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Sanni Eshinlokun, representatives of the governors of Ondo and Borno states, and private sector operators, all of whom pledged support for the successful implementation of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy agenda.