Headlines

Maritime stakeholders set agenda for success of Blue Economy

Adegboyega Oyetola,Minister of Marine and Blue Economy

The Eyewitness Reporter

Key stakeholders in the maritime sector during the Roundtable discussion hosted by the League of Maritime Editors (LOME) to commemorate the unveiling of its Secretariat in Lagos, on Thursday, September 14, 2023, have enunciated fresh measures to be adopted, to ensure that the Blue Economy contributes tremendously, to the development of the Nigerian society.

The stakeholders, include the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Muhammed Bello Koko, the Executive Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council(NSC), Hon Emmanuel Jime and the Patron of the League of Maritime Editors, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, who is an ex- President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA).

During the Roundtable, titled,’’ How to Achieve the Benefits of the Blue Economy’’, the League Patron, Prince Shittu who was the Chairman, the NIMASA DG, represented by the Agency’s Director of External Affairs, Chief Isichei Osamgbi, said that the blue economy is already operational, but required the proper identification of comparative advantages, for the purpose of what is potentially advantageous and sustainable.

He challenged industry players and operators, to see themselves as co-drivers in the journey towards the success of the Blue economy, saying without this, the success story of the Blue economy cannot be complete.

Jamoh disclosed that, whereas the blue economy in Nigeria is still unfolding, it is at the stage where a collaboration of efforts, must concentrate on optimizing the comparative advantages in order to remain competitive in the global space.

Represented by the Director External Relations, Isichie Osamgbi, the DG NIMASA said the country must tell herself the truth that the blue economy holds the front row potential in resource growth and as a leading revenue projection and hence should be accorded the right attention to drive its explorations.

“Today we are no longer talking about the benefits of the blue economy, we have passed that conception stage, current discussions should be how to tap into the various strata, the unfolding of the separate gold mines as already enshrined in the NIMASA Act.

“We need to do more collectively to improve on our individual spheres of contribution and achieve a sustainable template that will create a beneficial impact. For us, the effort to strengthen maritime security and achieve maritime safety, grow shipping development, marine tourism, and cruise transportation are key considerations we keep expanding.

“So, the time has come to maximize our abundance in the blue economy and to also be able to operationalize their economic benefits by looking at the comparative advantages each resource provides. We must be determined and focused, we are not the first to have maritime security challenges, Singapore’s niche market is the blue economy, and we must have the political and operational will to tackle insecurity as the top of the identified monster.

“We must come together and set the agenda for a functional blue economy and it is commendable that the League of Maritime Editors has been doing this, because however we look at it, today, the blue economy and the maritime domain hold the biggest prospect for achieving the required GDP.

“We must remove the sentiments of what is in it for me and embrace the patriotic ethos of what is in it for the country. When we agree on what should be done and how to go about doing it, and how to sustain the developments, and how to expand, then we would have actually become serious.

“And like all others, the protection of the marine environment from pollution is also key, and that takes us to our exclusive economic zones. What is economically critical is the exclusive zone, these are the issues that should agitate our minds.”

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko represented by the Tin Can Island Port Manager, Jibril Buba, advocated enhanced capacities through deliberate policy and stakeholder actions necessary to drive the processes.

While applauding LOME for providing the arena to brainstorm on the dynamics of the blue economy, Bello-Koko said the Authority has for a long time already prepared the grounds for its takeoff and consistent with the full realization is always providing the enabling environment through which the required efficiencies, competences and capacities can be developed and sustained.

He said, “We know where we are coming from, we remember the era of warfare in the port, we used to have women delivering babies in the port and all that. And NPA in its quest for excellence in 1993, said look, we cannot continue to remain like this. It was consciously or unconsciously the way of re-awakening the blue economy, it’s only that it didn’t get the name blue economy.

“As the first speaker said, attitude is important, often roles and duties are dumped on NPA which does not belong to us. The foundation must be regenerated, we now changed the name of Nigerian Post Authority to Nigerian Port Plc all in a quest to improve efficiency.

‘’Of course, you all know our mandate efficiency in cargo handling is what will make the industry move forward. “but whatever we come up with as far as we do not change our behaviour, we do not change the way we do things, our overlapping functions, then the blue economy will not find its footing.

“By 2006 we were partnering, we followed the pattern of the remaining people of the world and came up with what we now have as a landlord model. Now we now have the machinery. There is no berth that does not have mobile harbor cranes, some of them have up to eleven, some up to twelve, some more than that. They have the mobile harbour crane, have enough gantry cranes in the terminals,

“Now, when we had the time that vessels used to come to this country and they spend up to 40 days, that is pre-concession of the terminals. Now it is 72 hours in the case of container vessels and in the case of bulk cargo at ENL and the rest, ten days. We’ve achieved 0% waiting time.”

you remember the Amada shipping saga, that is what gave an offshoot of Tin-Can Island port to act as a shock absorber to Apapa port’’.

Bello-Koko also identified the fishing sub-sector as an advantageous resource area that can grow the blue economy substantially.

He said, “ if the government can deliberately, or the stakeholders can deliberately form a sort of consortium and then come up with a bigger fishing industry, I think it will move the industry forward because what we have now are fragmentations.

“Apart from probably the foreign partners that are doing well, exporting lobsters, our lobsters are well loved in America and the UK. You can hardly find them here but those farmed are constantly being exported to the US and to the UK and we are making very good foreign exchange from it.

“Apart from the fisheries which can move the blue economy forward, we also have, like other countries, the net industry. The net industry in countries like India generates thousands of employment. Why do we have to import the nets and the crafts that were used in fishing?

“So if you can help us push for the development of the net industry, it will in fact assist in boosting the fishing industry. And then also we have the welders of the craft itself, that’s entirely another industry that will come up under fishing alone, so these are things that can generate serious employment opportunities, plus forex.”

The NPA boss commended LOME for the acquisition of its secretariat which has been designed to also serve as Centre for Media Advocacy, noting that the place will serve as a catalyst for positive change in the industry.

“I am particularly delighted by the fact that this Secretariat will serve as a hub for collaboration, information exchange, and the development of best practices. It will be a platform where stakeholders from various segments of the maritime industry can come together to address challenges, explore opportunities, and shape the future of our sector.”

In his contribution, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) Hon Emmanuel Jime represented by the Council’s Director Consumer Affairs Department, Chief Cajetan Agu, described the blue economy, as having huge economic potential that should be harnessed by all.

Describing Nigeria as a blessed country in terms of the abundance of Blue Economy, the NSC CEO said what is needed is to harness the potential of the blue economy. Jime pointed out that the opportunities embedded in the blue economy were so many that it has become the project of the entire African Union (AU).

The NSC boss identified the potential of the blue economy as shipping, fisheries, underwater mining, cruise transportation, and tourism, among others. He said that realizing these potentials, the AU sees the blue economy as a project that no country will do alone because of the issue of security.

Jime stated that the criminals move around in different territorial waters, and as such the blue economy needs to be implemented together. He disclosed that the AU has developed a model of the blue economy after studying the potential, adding that for the body, it is the rebirth of the African Renaissance.

He however acknowledged that Nigeria through NIMASA has been able to reduce drastically the issue of piracy in her territorial waters and Gulf of Guinea (GoG.

Before the League’s Patron, cut the tape to inaugurate the Secretariat, the NIMASA DG; NPA MD, and the Shippers’ Council ES/ CEO, had identified the various benefits that would accrue to the League from having its own Secretariat and encouraged the members of the Association to tap into those benefits.

They all, lauded the various contributions of the League members, to the development of the maritime sector, and urged the League to ensure that it uses the Secretariat to brainstorm to set the agenda for the success of the Blue Economy, as well as the additional progress of the shipping sector.

Shittu, particularly charged the League, to consider building its own Secretariat being senior practitioners, and appealed to industry stakeholders to support the initiative whenever it comes on stream.

“I am delighted to be part of this epoch-making event, some of you l have known over the years, two, three decades, I remember those days while serving under Alhaji Sanni Kamba in the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents and l was the National Publicity Secretary, even though l was based in Port Harcourt, l was always coming around for meetings and briefings, so all along l have been part of you.”

“I foresee a future where we will be moving out of this apartment and going to our own property. Despite their moderate critical reporting as senior practitioners, l think that it is good for the industry.

“But generally, people should also be able to criticize certain reports, especially misleading reports. One of the mistakes we make is that we read stories and forget to read the commentaries or push out reactions.

“I am delighted to see the representatives of the CEOs of the agencies at the commissioning of your Secretariat, this shows mutual respect, even though they get you to attend their commissioning events all the time, it is good they identify with you during your own one-off events.

“Knowing that your profession is one of utmost service with very little monetary attachment, l am sure that if you ask them for water to support your secretariat, they will give you wine”., he had said.

Earlier, in his speech, the President of the League, Chief Timothy Okorocha had told the guests that the Monthly Roundtable Parley of the Association, which was on hold is now back, assuring that the League would again be providing the missing nexus in the industry, with regards to developmental journalism, and the essential advocacy that nations depend upon to nurture their peculiar circumstances and to build their capacities.

He expressed the League’s appreciation to all the stakeholders that have assisted the Association in one form or another, noting that, since, the Secretariat that is being inaugurated, is the beginning of a new long journey, LOME will still need their support to make the Secretariat, a Center of Media Advocacy, as conceived by the body’s immediate past Executive.

Analyses

National Single Window: Paper on glass(6)

Monday Discourse with Nasiru Ibrahim

The deployment of digital software portals across Nigeria’s maritime gateways has created a dangerous sense of administrative accomplishment.

On paper, policy declarations boast of automated workflows and modern interfaces designed to ease the cost of doing business. On the ground, however, the reality remains stubbornly archaic.

If the presidency and the newly minted National Single Window team believe that true automation begins and ends with front-end digital software portals like the new B’Odogwu Customs System, they are falling for an expensive trap.

True technological transformation cannot simply mean scanning old bureaucracies onto a computer screen. Cosmetic digitization does not eradicate systemic corruption; it merely moves the extortion from the physical Port gate onto a digital dashboard.

The structural flaw undermining our current modernization drive is the “scanned paper” reality. Clearing agents are routinely forced to upload digital documents onto unified portals, only to face the absurdity of printing out those exact same files to present them physically at various Port commands.

This duplication completely defeats the purpose of an automated gateway.
True single window success requires the total legal abolition of physical paper documentation within the Port perimeter.

We must transition from an era of “paper-on-glass” to pure, untampered digital data flows. A digital portal is utterly useless if the data it processes is still manually verified, delayed, or altered by human gatekeepers behind the scenes.

To break this cycle, the system must shift from human discretion to algorithmic risk profiling. We must enforce a machine-driven risk engine that automatically routes cargo through green, yellow, or red channels based entirely on hard data and compliance history.

Under this framework, once a container profile passes automated risk evaluation, an individual officer should not possess the arbitrary power to flag it for a manual “re-examination.”

Unauthorized human interventions on automated system routing must be treated as institutional sabotage and criminalized accordingly. Removing human delays from the logistics chain requires stripping human actors of the capacity to stall.

Furthermore, we must aggressively implement a single wallet mandate to clean up the financial architecture of our Ports. A true single window platform must consolidate all customs duties, agency fees, and terminal charges into one single electronic transaction.

This eradication of multi-layered payment checkpoints will instantly dry up the illicit cash demands that fuel the multi-billion-naira demurrage trap.

By deploying automated escrow systems, the central portal can instantly distribute revenues to the respective agency accounts—be it the Nigeria Customs Service, NPA, or NIMASA—only after automated cargo release metrics are met.

The ultimate structural shift, however, requires moving the entire national Port philosophy beyond the physical gate.

Top-tier maritime capitals like Singapore and Rotterdam do not stall their economies by interrogating cargo at the wharf; they rely on Post-Clearance Audits (PCA).

Nigeria must transition to a system where cargo is released instantly within a guaranteed 24-hour window based on automated risk profiles, while reserving heavy verification for robust, off-site corporate audits later.

Until we replace cosmetic upgrades with this level of raw process re-engineering, our software portals remain empty promises. True automation is not a software purchase; it is an uncompromising institutional discipline.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja

Headlines

Oyetola presents three-year score card as blue economy industry revenue hits ₦1.83trn

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has declared that Nigeria’s maritime sector has undergone a far-reaching transformation in the three years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu created the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in August 2023.

Oyetola, while presenting the Ministry’s three-year scorecard, said the administration had made significant progress in unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways, with the marine and blue economy increasingly emerging as a major driver of revenue, trade, security and employment.

According to him, the reform programme has produced measurable gains in revenue generation, port infrastructure, maritime security, regulation, indigenous shipping, human-capital development, fisheries and inland-waterway safety.

“At the heart of our mandate is a simple but powerful objective: to turn Nigeria’s vast marine resources into sustainable economic value for Nigerians,” Oyetola said.

Revenue climbs 160 per cent

The Minister identified revenue growth as one of the clearest indicators of the sector’s transformation.

Agencies under the Ministry generated ₦1.83 trillion in 2025, representing a 160 per cent increase over the ₦700.79 billion recorded in 2023.

Oyetola attributed the surge to regulatory reforms, stronger revenue assurance, digitisation and the systematic closure of financial leakages.

He said the improved revenue performance was part of a broader strategy to establish a more transparent, efficient and investment-friendly maritime economy.

Nigeria gets first blue economy policy

A major milestone of the reform programme, according to Oyetola, was the approval in May 2025 of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.

He said the policy provided, for the first time, a unified framework for developing shipping, fisheries, offshore energy, marine biotechnology and other emerging opportunities within the marine economy.

“This policy gives us a clear roadmap. It provides the predictability and transparency investors need while ensuring that our marine resources are developed sustainably,” he said.

The Minister said the policy would guide government intervention while providing greater certainty for private-sector investment across the marine and blue economy value chain.

Ports undergo major transformation

Port modernisation, Oyetola said, remained at the centre of the Ministry’s transformation agenda.

He said the Federal Government was implementing a comprehensive programme to upgrade major seaports, including Apapa, Tin Can Island, Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Warri.

The programme covers channel improvements, modern cargo-handling infrastructure and increased digitisation of terminal operations, aimed at improving efficiency and enabling Nigerian ports to handle larger volumes of international trade.

The reforms have also attracted international recognition.

The World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, 12th among the world’s 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025.

Oyetola said government had also made progress in tackling congestion around the Apapa port environment through the electronic truck call-up system, dedicated holding bays and expanded inland barging.

The acquisition of modern tugboats, pilot cutters and dredging equipment by the Nigerian Ports Authority, he added, had further strengthened port operations.

“We have moved from managing congestion to building a port system that can compete globally,” Oyetola said.

He said the Federal Government was also pursuing an expansion of port capacity through deep-seaport projects in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Lagos and Rivers states.

The operationalisation of inland dry ports, including the Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina State, is similarly expected to take cargo-handling and clearance services closer to businesses in the hinterland and reduce pressure on coastal ports.

Regulation, lower costs for port users

The Minister said regulatory reforms had also delivered tangible benefits to businesses operating in the maritime sector.

According to him, the new Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Authority framework will strengthen economic regulation of the port sector, while interventions by the Ministry and its agencies have saved port users more than ₦86 billion in unjustified demurrage.

He added that nearly 300 commercial disputes had been resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Oyetola said government had introduced measures to eliminate unauthorised shipping charges and strengthen freight and foreign-exchange verification in an effort to reduce leakages and curb capital flight.

He said the objective was to create a maritime business environment where legitimate operators could compete on a level playing field while Nigerian businesses were protected from avoidable costs.

Maritime security records major gains

Improved port efficiency, Oyetola said, had been accompanied by significant gains in maritime security.

Nigeria has maintained zero piracy in its territorial waters for four consecutive years, according to the Minister, with maritime security assets deployed under the Deep Blue Project helping to secure the country’s waters.

He said the achievement had eliminated costly piracy-related surcharges on vessels calling at Nigerian ports while strengthening Nigeria’s reputation as a safer maritime corridor.

Nigeria also regained its seat on the International Maritime Organization Category C Council in November 2025, following a 14-year absence.

Through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the country also secured the lifting of the 12-year United States Coast Guard Condition of Entry restrictions affecting vessels arriving from Nigerian ports.

“These achievements demonstrate that Nigeria is not only reforming its maritime sector at home; we are reclaiming our rightful voice and influence internationally,” Oyetola said.

Indigenous shipping gets renewed attention

Oyetola said the Federal Government remained committed to increasing Nigerian participation in the shipping industry.

He disclosed that plans were at an advanced stage to revive a national shipping carrier through a public-private partnership, while the long-awaited process for disbursing the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) had commenced.

The fund, he said, would enable Nigerian shipowners to acquire modern vessels and strengthen indigenous capacity.

“We cannot build a truly blue economy if Nigerians remain spectators in their own maritime industry,” he said.

Human-capital development has also received increased attention, with seafarer training and sea-time placements expanded to create more opportunities for Nigerians seeking careers at sea.

According to Oyetola, the interventions have contributed to an increase of more than 80 per cent in average seafarer earnings.

He added that the Ministry, through the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency, facilitated a ₦200,000 monthly minimum wage for maritime and shipping workers.

Blue economy expands beyond ports

Oyetola said the Ministry’s transformation agenda extends beyond shipping and ports to fisheries, inland waterways, marine safety and environmental sustainability.

He said the Ministry supported the Federal Government’s Naira-for-Crude policy by streamlining marine logistics for domestic refineries.

On inland waterways, safety interventions have included the distribution of thousands of lifejackets and plans to replace unsafe wooden boats with modern fibreglass vessels.

The fisheries sector, he said, recorded further growth, with fish production reaching 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025.

Nigeria also achieved 100 per cent compliance with Turtle Excluder Device requirements among inspected commercial shrimp trawlers, helping to protect marine biodiversity and preserve access to international markets.

Oyetola said the interventions reflected the Ministry’s broader philosophy that economic development and environmental sustainability should reinforce rather than undermine each other.

Digitisation and new institutions

Institutional reform has also featured prominently in the Ministry’s three-year programme.

Oyetola said the Ministry had digitised its internal operations through an Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability.

He also disclosed that the Ministry helped resolve a 16-year impasse that paved the way for the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) in Nigeria.

According to him, the development would improve access to financing for businesses and projects across the maritime value chain.

Foundation for the next phase

Oyetola said the achievements recorded over the past three years should be regarded as the foundation for a much larger economic opportunity.

He said the ultimate objective was to establish a maritime ecosystem in which efficient ports support trade, stronger security attracts shipping, Nigerian businesses capture a greater share of the maritime value chain, coastal and inland communities benefit from new economic opportunities, and marine resources are developed sustainably.

According to him, the combination of rising revenues, a new national policy framework, port modernisation, improved maritime security, stronger regulation, investment in human capital and renewed international engagement had placed Nigeria’s marine and blue economy on a stronger trajectory.

“The blue economy is no longer an untapped frontier. It is becoming a major engine of national prosperity, regional competitiveness and sustainable growth,” Oyetola said.

Headlines

NIHOTOUR promotes culinary, cultural exchange at Nigeria-China food festival

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), in collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, has used the 2026 Nigeria-China Food Festival to promote culinary diplomacy, cultural exchange and stronger people-to-people relations between the two countries.

The festival, held on August 27 at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja, was themed “From Farm to Feast” and formed part of activities marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.

The event brought together more than 200 participants, including hospitality professionals, chefs, tourism stakeholders, government officials, diplomats, entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners from both countries.

A major attraction of the festival was the presentation of 14 Chinese dishes representing seven regions of China alongside 12 Nigerian dishes reflecting the country’s six geopolitical zones.

The diverse selection offered guests an opportunity to experience the distinctive ingredients, preparation techniques and culinary traditions of both countries while learning about the communities and cultures behind the food.

For NIHOTOUR, the festival also served as a platform to showcase Nigerian cuisine as an important component of the country’s tourism proposition and draw attention to the wide range of people and enterprises that make up the food and hospitality value chain.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade, reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to developing the skills and human capacity needed to strengthen Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Fagade said such initiatives could help create opportunities for young people, professionals and entrepreneurs while promoting Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage to domestic and international audiences.

The theme, “From Farm to Feast,” also highlighted the extensive value chain behind every meal—from farmers and food producers to processors, chefs, hospitality operators and businesses that ultimately serve consumers.

NIHOTOUR used the occasion to emphasise the tourism potential embedded in Nigeria’s diverse culinary traditions. Each of the country’s six geopolitical zones has distinctive dishes, ingredients and methods of preparation that can be developed into authentic cultural and tourism experiences.

The Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Mr. Zhou Hongyou, underscored the importance of food in promoting cross-cultural understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations.

Also in attendance was the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Yang Jianxing.

Their participation reinforced the role of cultural diplomacy in deepening the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and China.

Beyond the food presentations, the festival featured cultural activities and opportunities for interaction between Nigerian and Chinese participants. It also opened avenues for potential collaboration in hospitality, tourism, culinary training, cultural exchange and enterprise development.

The event comes at a significant point in Nigeria-China relations, with both countries commemorating 55 years of diplomatic ties. While bilateral relations have expanded into areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure and education, cultural initiatives provide an important avenue for strengthening the relationship at the people-to-people level.

NIHOTOUR said it would continue to pursue partnerships capable of advancing Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sector, strengthening professional capacity, supporting enterprise development and creating opportunities across the tourism value chain.

Through initiatives such as the Nigeria-China Food Festival, the Institute is positioning food and hospitality not only as avenues for economic development but also as powerful instruments of cultural diplomacy and international engagement.