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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured that Nigeria would, in no distant time, achieve self-sufficiency in fish production as well as become a major exporter of protein.
Tinubu gave the assurance while speaking at the 39th annual conference of the Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) in Abuja yesterday.
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He said the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy marked the beginning of a new era for the fishery and aquaculture sub-sector in alignment with his vision for the sub-sector.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, assured that the ministry was committed to achieving self-sufficiency in fish production and positioning Nigeria as a major exporter.
According to him, the movement of the fisheries department from the federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to the Marine and Blue Economy has recorded remarkable achievement in the last nine months, including an increase in feed production, reduction of fish import and leveraging of public-private partnership to increase investment in the sector,
He disclosed that Nigeria recently scored 100 per cent for the first time following the inspection of the United States of “our shrimps market” and recertification of the country to export shrimps to the United States and the European Union.
He disclosed that the ministry is embarking on various initiatives tailored towards fisheries management, boosting investment of fisheries and aquaculture development, improving post-harvest infrastructure, promoting innovation, leveraging technology and fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations.
Meanwhile, the President of FISON, Dr Ebinimi Ansa, has called on the federal government to establish the Fisheries Institute of Nigeria (FIN) to strengthen the development of the sector as well as enhance capacity and professional standards.
While maintaining that Professionalising fisheries and aquaculture would elevate capacity and ensure compliance with global standards, she appealed to the minister to sponsor the FIN bill.
She highlighted that the institute would provide structured capacity building, certification and professional development while facilitating knowledge transfer and best practices in fisheries management.
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