How coastal states can grow Nigeria’s blue economy - Diri - Blueprint Newspapers Limited
Spread the wordGovernor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri, has advocated for Nigeria’s coastal states to maximise their aquatic potential to contribute to the growth of the country’s marine and blue. . .
Spread the wordGovernor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri, has advocated for Nigeria’s coastal states to maximise their aquatic potential to contribute to the growth of the country’s marine and blue economy. Governor Diri also contended that the country’s maritime domain holds enormous potential to boost its economic growth. The Bayelsa governor stated this Thursday in a keynote address with the theme, “Sub-National Leadership in Advancing Nigeria’s Maritime and Blue Economy: The Bayelsa Experience and Pathways for Coastal State Development” during the 2nd Quarter 2026 Citizens/Stakeholders’ Engagement organised by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Governor Diri asserted that of Nigeria’s more than 850km coastline, it is the states that have the waterways and that they must move from being spectators to stakeholders. He proposed five pathways for coastal states to collaborate for not only their collective progress and that of their communities but also Nigeria’s. He said there was need for these states to institutionalise and create focal ministries or agencies and give them political and financial authority. He also urged them to enact blue economy laws that align with the national policy and which reflect their unique geography and people. According to him, such sub-nationals should secure and map out their domain as well as invest in coastal security and credible ocean data. Diri, who further stated that the sub-nationals should establish maritime skills hubs, modernise fish processing and build cold storage, proposed that coastal producers be connected to national and global value chains. The Bayelsa helmsman, who became the first governor in Nigeria to create a full-fledged Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in the country in 2024, explained that the move was inspired by the Federal Government’s creation of a similar ministry in 2023 by President Bola Tinubu. He said: “To ignore the Blue Economy in Bayelsa would be to ignore Bayelsa itself. That is why, following the initiative of the Federal Government, Bayelsa is not merely a state with a bespoke ministry, we are a national model for how to institutionalise and mainstream the Blue Economy at the sub-national level. ”Declaring the event open, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the successful implementation of the blue economy policy last year marked an important milestone in the sector. Oyetola noted that it provided Nigeria with a coherent, strategic framework for unlocking opportunities that abound within the country’s ocean space, inland waterways and coastal resources. Also, President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who was represented by Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Simon Akin Omole, remarked that Nigeria’s blue economy was no longer defined by its potential but by the collective willingness to unlock it. “The decisions we make today will determine whether future generations inherit a coastline untapped promise or a globally competitive economy that drives investments, industrialisation and shared prosperity,” he said. Present at the well-attended event were all the institutional stakeholders in the sector as well as the governors of Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Borno, who were represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, Mr. Olu Alade and Dr. Abdulkarim Babagana respectively, and chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine and Blue Economy, Senator Wasiu Sanni. Spread the word