President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has unveiled a new security and economic framework aimed at repositioning Nigeria’s marine and blue economy as a major driver of national growth, job creation and long-term prosperity.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday during a parley with participants of Senior Executive Course 47 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), the President—represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima—directed relevant ministries, departments and agencies to immediately review and begin implementing recommendations from a new NIPSS policy study on the blue economy.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s underutilised maritime potential, including an 853-kilometre coastline, abundant fisheries, inland waterways and strategic Gulf of Guinea location, positioned the country for significant economic expansion if properly developed.
“The blue economy offers a strategic pathway for diversifying our revenue base, creating sustainable employment and revitalising the ecosystems that sustain national development,” he said. “If properly harnessed, this sector could become an anchor of shared prosperity for generations.”
The President identified aquaculture expansion, port modernisation, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology and renewable ocean energy as priority areas for development. He said the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was part of ongoing reforms to strengthen maritime security operations and improve port management systems.
Tinubu, however, warned that economic ambitions cannot be realised without a secure environment, noting that despite improvements, oil theft, illegal fishing, smuggling and maritime criminality continue to undermine national revenues.
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“These threats are real, and this Administration is taking decisive steps to address them,” he said.
He also assigned NIPSS a fresh national security mandate, directing the institute to conduct a nationwide security diagnostic and submit actionable recommendations for reforms in Nigeria’s security architecture.
Earlier, the Director-General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, commended the Federal Government for its support and said participants visited several states and 14 countries during their research. Colonel Murkar Dauda, who presented highlights of the report, said Nigeria faced challenges of governance coordination, infrastructure gaps and policy coherence in the blue economy sector.
The report recommended the launch of a national fisheries expansion programme to boost fish production from 1.2 million metric tonnes to 10 million metric tonnes within two years through public-private investment. It also advised the government to harmonise legal and policy frameworks, expand revenue sources, and strengthen safety and security across inland waterways.
The meeting ended with the formal presentation of the study titled Blue Economy and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.
