Legislative Gaps and Fragmented Agencies Stall Nigeria's Blue Economy Potential
Years after its establishment, Nigeria's Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has failed to deliver on its ambitious promise of harnessing the country's vast aquatic resources to drive significant economic growth. Despite Nigeria's enviable geographical advantages, including over 420 nautical miles of coastline, rich marine biodiversity, and strategic access to Atlantic trade routes, stakeholders report that the sector is being strangled by legislative inertia, institutional fragmentation, and a clear lack of strategic roadmap.
Nigeria's Maritime Assets and Strategic Positioning
Nigeria's vast maritime assets and strategic positioning place it on a path to become a continental leader in the emerging blue economy, according to recent sectoral assessments. These evaluations highlight the country's natural endowments and substantial market potential. With a population of 228 million and a GDP of $362.2 billion, Nigeria stands as one of Africa's five largest economies.
The country currently handles approximately 60 percent of maritime trade in West Africa, a figure that experts believe could grow significantly with improved infrastructure and increased investment. A senior official from the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, who wished to remain anonymous due to lack of authorization, stated, Nigeria's natural marine wealth is enormous—both living and non-living resources. This is our time to harness it sustainably and strategically.
In addition to its physical assets, Nigeria's strategic location in the Gulf of Guinea provides direct freight access to North America, Europe, Latin America, and Central Africa. This grants the country a unique freight advantage in global shipping routes, positioning it as a strong contender for a maritime logistics hub in Africa. Furthermore, the nation is witnessing a gradual expansion in maritime infrastructure, including port modernization, inland port development, and shipbuilding initiatives.
Core Challenges: Outdated Laws and Institutional Fragmentation
At the heart of the sector's drawbacks lies Nigeria's outdated maritime legal framework. For instance, the Sea Fisheries Act of 1992 is woefully inadequate in addressing modern threats such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. This practice is projected to have cost the country billions in lost revenue and sustainable fish stocks.
According to Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association and maritime law expert, Nigeria's maritime sector holds a yearly revenue potential of N7 trillion and could serve as a viable alternative to oil. He emphasized that with a robust policy framework, legislative reforms, and significant infrastructure investments, the shipping and maritime sector could become a major revenue driver for the country.
Unfortunately, crucial reform bills—including the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill (2023), Ports and Harbour Bill, and proposed amendments to the Merchant Shipping Act and Fisheries Act—remain stuck in the legislative pipeline. There is no aggressive campaign to push these essential bills before the National Assembly.
A maritime policy expert told The Guardian, Since the Ministry's creation in August 2023, we have just developed a comprehensive policy roadmap. This is essential, and the actionables drawn from this framework will guide the new ministry and agencies, which were operating in isolation before now.
Institutional Fragmentation and Financial Toll
The lack of a unified strategy has exposed deep rifts among key maritime institutions. Agencies such as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Shipping Council, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Inland Waterways, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, and state-level bodies like Lagos State Waterways Agency and Lagos Ferry Services Company continue to function independently, often with overlapping mandates and minimal coordination.
This institutional fragmentation has not only slowed development but also discouraged private sector investment and donor engagement, as noted by industry observers. The Ministry's underperformance is taking a financial toll on the government. While it projected revenue of N1 trillion in its first year, actual revenue stood at just N242 billion—only 24.2 percent of the target. Experts attribute this shortfall to operational inefficiencies and the failure to enact enabling legislation that could unlock private investment and streamline regulatory frameworks.
Fisheries Sector: A Glaring Indicator of Policy Failure
One of the most glaring indicators of policy failure is in the fisheries sector. Nigeria currently faces a yearly fish demand of 3.6 million metric tons, but local production is only 1.2 million metric tons, leaving a deficit of 2.4 million metric tons. This gap is met through costly imports, which rose 68.8 percent, despite Nigeria's potential to become a net exporter through better regulation and investment in aquaculture and fisheries.
Fish remains a crucial part of the Nigerian diet, with per capita consumption at 13.3 kg per year, contributing around 40 percent of national protein intake. Yet, without legislative support, the sector is failing to meet rising population demands. With Nigeria meeting only about 30 percent of its yearly fish demand through local production, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has pledged to end the country's dependence on fish importation by significantly boosting domestic output.
Speaking at a high-level consultative meeting with fisheries cooperative groups in Abuja, Oyetola said, Nigeria must chart a new course toward self-sufficiency in fish production. He assured stakeholders of the federal government's unwavering support through policy reforms, technical assistance, and financial inclusion, affirming, We will scale up domestic fish production, reduce import dependency, and reposition the sector for sustainable growth.
Underexplored Opportunities and Urgent Reforms
Beyond fisheries, vast economic opportunities in offshore energy, marine biotechnology, coastal tourism, and seabed mining remain underexplored. These sectors require a modern legal foundation and a coordinated national blueprint to attract foreign direct investment and drive innovation.
Development expert Victor Idajili pointed out that new ministries like Marine and Blue Economy must be led by professionals with deep sectoral knowledge. He stated, When new institutions are created, the next step must be the development of a comprehensive policy framework to guide operations. Otherwise, the ministry becomes a sleeping giant.
A recent policy paper from the ministry highlighted deep-rooted structural and governance issues that continue to hinder Nigeria's maritime sector. Despite the policy's comprehensive scope, execution is lacking. The paper identified urgent needs for legislative reforms, chronic underinvestment restricting infrastructure development, and overlapping mandates among government agencies creating confusion and inefficiency.
An industry observer, Paul Eze, noted that the dominance of foreign vessels due to the lack of Nigerian-owned ships has continued to undermine economic opportunities, while persistent port congestion and low operational competitiveness further constrain growth. He added that the sector suffers from limited hydrographic capacity and enforcement of laws against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
Stakeholder Calls for Coordinated Reforms
The national policy on marine and blue economy identified serious risks to the sector's future, including insecurity on inland and coastal waterways, environmental pollution, climate change impacts, increasing cyber threats, and frequent shifts in government policy, all threatening to derail long-term development efforts. In response, stakeholders are calling for urgent and coordinated reforms.
These include:
- Accelerating the passing of key maritime bills to unlock legal bottlenecks.
- Improving inter-agency coordination and governance frameworks.
- Creating investment incentives through instruments like blue bonds and structured public-private partnerships.
- Modernizing and dredging Nigeria's ports.
- Expanding domestic vessel ownership to reduce reliance on foreign carriers.
- Enhancing hydrographic mapping and marine data systems.
- Enforcing stricter monitoring and penalties to combat illegal fishing activities.
According to lawyer Omale Ajonye, the most urgent task is to modernize maritime laws to reflect present-day realities. He explained, Many of our key statutes—such as the Shippers' Council Act (1978), the Sea Fisheries Act (1992), and even the NIMASA Act—are outdated and no longer aligned with global best practices or the Ministry's expanded vision for a sustainable blue economy. These laws must be overhauled to provide legal clarity, strengthen enforcement, and support investment.
He also noted the need to address overlapping mandates across maritime agencies, as institutions like NIMASA, NPA, NIWA, and the Nigerian Shippers' Council often operate in silos, leading to duplication, turf conflicts, and bureaucratic gridlock. This fragmentation undermines effective enforcement, weakens investor confidence, and limits the Ministry's ability to coordinate a cohesive blue economy strategy.
Ajonye pointed out that instruments such as the Ports and Harbours Bill, the Maritime Zones Bill, and the proposed Coast Guard and Blue Economy Commission Bills will be crucial in redefining responsibilities, securing Nigeria's waters, and promoting a more integrated and investment-friendly maritime environment. He believes that unlocking the potential of Nigeria's maritime sector depends not only on vision but also on aligning the legal and institutional frameworks to support that vision.
Additional Perspectives and Recommendations
Lawyer Douglas Ogbankwa agreed that the Maritime and Blue Economy sector is hugely underutilized, dominated by foreign vessels and seafarers. He argued, Nigerians are dominated even in their own maritime sector. This dominance is reflected in all sectors as permitted by the regulators. Nigerian Ports have perhaps the highest number of agencies anywhere in the world. The best way of streamlining the operations of institutions is first removing institutions that have no business in the Ports.
Ogbankwa suggested that some agencies have no business in Nigerian seaports, and their activities have been largely responsible for the high costs of imported goods and manufacturing in Nigeria. He proposed a one-stop shop for all clearing activities at the ports to ensure stakeholders avoid unnecessary harassment and extortion.
He emphasized, The Ports Authority should also be the final arbiter on any issue, subject to existing laws, while security agencies are secondary regulators at the ports. Other government agencies should not treat port activities as business or money-making ventures. This money-making mindset has destroyed the institutional frameworks at the seaports. It is important for there to be an institutional framework to curb the prevalence of corruption in Nigerian seaports.
According to Ogbankwa, there should be institutional reforms and legislation to allow state governments to have internal waterways agencies that will license operators, ensuring safety and greater economic activities in internal waterways. In addition, he called for urgent legislation to curb the invasion of foreign fishermen who operate in Nigeria's Continental Shelf largely unregulated, declaring, These foreign fishermen who collaborate with internal saboteurs rake in billions of naira monthly without revenue remitted to the federal government.
