ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has said targeted investments across Nigeria’s fisheries value chain could reduce imports, conserve foreign exchange, generate more than 500,000 jobs and position the country as a leading exporter of fishery products.
Dangote made the remarks in Lagos during the Second Quarter 2026 Citizens and Stakeholders’ Engagement organised by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
The event, 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, diplomats, development partners, industry leaders, academics and representatives of state governments.
Presenting a paper titled, “Driving Private Sector Investment and Industrialisation in Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy: Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth,” Dangote, represented by the Managing Director of Dangote Port Operations, Simeon Omole, described the fisheries sector as a major investment opportunity.
“This is not merely a food security challenge; it is an industrial and investment opportunity.
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“Strategic investment across the fisheries value chain, from aquaculture and hatcheries to feed production, cold-chain logistics, processing, and export infrastructure, supported by private sector leadership and an enabling government environment, can strengthen food security, reduce imports, conserve foreign exchange, create over 500,000 jobs, and position Nigeria as a competitive exporter of fisheries products.”
He said the success of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy would depend largely on sustained private sector participation.
Dangote noted that the policy aims to create three million jobs within its first four years, achieve annual sectoral growth of seven per cent and reserve at least 50 per cent of new jobs for young people between the ages of 18 and 35.
He identified policy consistency, quality infrastructure, access to finance and investor confidence as key requirements for industrial transformation, adding that infrastructure-led industrialisation, value-chain development and stronger public-private partnerships were critical to unlocking the sector’s potential.
According to him, the Federal Government’s approval of new deep seaport projects across the country would stimulate industrial clusters focused on agro-processing, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, cold-chain logistics and maritime technology, while enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness.
Dangote also highlighted the fisheries value chain as a significant investment opportunity, noting that despite increasing domestic production, Nigeria still imports fish valued at nearly $1bn annually because of a persistent supply gap.
He stressed that public-private partnerships should extend beyond financing to include strategic collaboration among government, investors, research institutions and coastal communities.
He added that coastal industrial clusters supported by modern ports, Special Economic Zones and digital infrastructure would attract long-term investment and accelerate industrial development.
Earlier, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and development partners to accelerate implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.
Oyetola described the involvement of sub-national governments as essential to unlocking the sector’s vast economic potential.
He said Nigeria had moved beyond policy formulation and must now focus on implementation capable of delivering measurable economic benefits.
According to the minister, while the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy provides a strategic framework for harnessing the country’s oceans, inland waterways, fisheries and coastal resources, its success depends on coordinated efforts across all levels of government.
“Many of the country’s blue economy assets are located within states and communities, making sub-national governments indispensable partners in driving investment, creating jobs, improving food security and promoting environmental sustainability,” Oyetola said.
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He added that reforms introduced 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.
Oyetola further disclosed that ongoing port modernisation and plans to develop new deep seaports in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos and Ondo states would reinforce Nigeria’s position as West Africa’s preferred maritime hub.
He also noted that improved port operations had helped Nigeria maintain a national trade surplus since 2024.
On inland waterway safety, the minister said the ministry had intensified collaboration with relevant agencies and state governments, distributed life jackets across the country and encouraged states to replace unsafe wooden passenger boats with modern fibre boats.
He further urged 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 keynote address, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri, commended President Bola Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, describing it as a strategic move to diversify Nigeria’s economy.
He said Bayelsa established its own Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in June 2024 to drive the blue economy component of the state’s A-S-S-U-R-E-D Prosperity Agenda.
Diri disclosed that the state had commenced large-scale fish production at the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village in Yenegwe, where an operational hatchery was producing high-quality catfish fingerlings and juveniles to improve food security and create employment opportunities.
He added that Bayelsa 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.
The governor also outlined five key strategies for coastal states to maximise opportunities in the blue economy, including “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.”