The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, has called for stronger collaboration between the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and development partners to accelerate the implementation of the 10-year National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy to unlock the country’s estimated $2.7 billion yearly revenue from the sector.

Speaking yesterday at the Second Quarter 2026 Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in Lagos, Oyetola said Nigeria had moved beyond policy formulation and must now focus on implementation that can deliver measurable economic benefits.

The minister said the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy had provided a strategic framework for harnessing Nigeria’s oceans, inland waterways, fisheries and coastal resources, but stressed that its success depended on coordinated action across all levels of government.

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, industry leaders, academics and representatives of state governments.

Oyetola noted that many of the country’s blue economy assets were located within states and communities, making sub-national governments indispensable partners in driving investment, creating jobs, improving food security and promoting environmental sustainability.

He described the sub-national participation as critical to unlocking the sector’s vast economic potential.

Oyetola said reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had strengthened stakeholder engagement, attracted investment, improved maritime safety and enhanced the competitiveness of Nigeria’s ports.

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

He further called on coastal states to align their development plans with the national policy while encouraging private investment in fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, shipbuilding, renewable energy, and marine biotechnology.

In his presentation on private sector investment and industrialisation, President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, said the successful implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy would depend largely on sustained private sector participation.

He noted that the policy targets the creation of three million jobs within its first four years, yearly sectoral growth of seven per cent and the reservation of at least 50 per cent of new jobs for young people aged between 18 and 35.

Dangote, who was represented by the Managing Director of Dangote Port Operations, Simeon Akin Omole, said industrial transformation required policy consistency, quality infrastructure, access to finance and investor confidence.

Delivering the keynote address, Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, proposed five key pathways for coastal states to maximise opportunities in the blue economy, such as establishing dedicated ministries of marine and blue economy, enacting enabling legislation, properly mapping and securing their maritime domains, investing in credible data collection and analysis, and developing skills, markets, innovation hubs and logistics infrastructure.

He said the state ministry had commenced major fish production at the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village in Yenegwe, where an operational hatchery was breeding high-quality catfish fingerlings and juveniles to boost food security and create jobs.

The governor also added that the state had expanded its marine transport fleet and was aggressively pursuing the development of the proposed Agge Deep Seaport as the next maritime gateway for the Niger Delta.