Stakeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry have delivered a mixed scorecard on the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as it marks its second anniversary, with voices ranging from high praise for policy direction to concerns over slow implementation and unresolved bottlenecks and failed promises.
The ministry was created on August 20, 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as part of his Renewed Hope Agenda. Carved out of the former Ministry of Transportation, it was designed to unlock the vast but underutilised potential of Nigeria’s ocean and inland waterways. With over 850 kilometres of coastline and 10,000 kilometres of inland waterways, government officials argued that the blue economy could become a new engine of growth, generating billions of dollars and millions of jobs, if properly harnessed.
At inception, the ministry was tasked with diversifying the economy beyond oil, modernising ports, enhancing food security through aquaculture, promoting coastal tourism, and improving maritime security.
Two years on, it has rolled out ambitious reforms: advancing the long-stalled Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), securing Federal Executive Council approval for the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, pushing port rehabilitation, and driving indigenous participation in shipping. Yet, opinions remain divided on whether it has moved from vision to execution.
In a chat with our correspondent Capt. Tami Adu, a maritime veteran, lauded the ministry’s policy frameworks, describing them as commendable. He cited progress in digital tools, port rehabilitation, and safety campaigns on inland waterways. According to him, the CVFF rollout and Nigeria’s leadership in establishing a Regional Maritime Development Bank were major milestones. Adu noted that the Inland Waterways Transportation Regulation, launched by NIWA in 2023, had reduced boat mishaps through training, safety campaigns and provision of over 42,000 life jackets.
Chief Isaac Jolapamo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Shipowners Association, however, struck a cautious note. While acknowledging improvements over previous administrations, he criticised the ministry for poor stakeholder consultation. He welcomed efforts on the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), but strongly opposed calls for a separate Coast Guard, insisting that a better-equipped Navy could secure Nigerian waters. He also lamented delays in implementing the National Single Window and the Port Community System, warning that such gaps left Nigeria trailing behind regional competitors like Togo and others.
For Alhaji Babatunde Mukaila, former National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the ministry’s achievements in reducing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and its initiatives in fisheries were commendable. However, he stressed the need to diversify beyond shipping and port management. He urged greater investment in coastal tourism, aquaculture, seabed mining and desalination projects, warning that much of the blue economy remained untapped.
Also speaking, Capt. Ladi Olubowale, President of the African Shipowners Association (ASA), described the ministry’s first two years as remarkable. He praised its early stakeholder engagements, the development of a national policy framework, and Nigeria’s maritime diplomacy at global fora. He said the ministry’s directive on CVFF disbursement was long overdue and could mark a legacy milestone for Nigeria if implemented transparently.
Olubowale also called for priority funding for maritime agencies, stronger capacity development programmes, and sustainable infrastructure to fully actualise the new policy framework. “African nations are watching how Nigeria delivers the CVFF and drives green shipping initiatives,” he said, adding that the next two years should see the ministry move from policy to deployment.
From the professional education perspective, Sesan Ajayi, President of the Nigerian Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS), described the creation of the ministry as a masterstroke. He noted that it shifted Nigeria’s maritime focus beyond ports to a broader blue economy model covering fisheries, aquaculture, renewable energy, and marine tourism.
Ajayi welcomed the 10-year Marine and Blue Economy Policy (2025–2034) and progress on the National Single Window, but warned of slow implementation and unclear funding sources. He advised the ministry to embrace public-private partnerships (PPP) for job creation targets, port modernisation, and revival of a national carrier. He also flagged persistent inter-agency rivalries, regulatory uncertainty, and gaps in performance monitoring. He recommended including professional bodies in ministry evaluations. On balance, he scored the ministry a “C+,” saying it had shown vision, but needed to shift decisively from promise to performance.
Meanwhile, in a chat with our correspondent, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister, highlighted what he described as landmark achievements of the ministry over the past two years. He said one of the greatest milestones was the approval of the National Marine and Blue Economy Policy — the first of its kind in Africa — which provides a framework for shipping, aquaculture, tourism, offshore energy, and maritime security. “This policy will stimulate mass employment, attract private capital, and align Nigeria with global blue economy standards,” he said.
On port operations, Akinola noted that the ministry had broken the 20-year Apapa gridlock jinx through road repairs, digital truck call-up systems, and traffic reforms. He added that the $700 million rehabilitation of Apapa and Tin Can ports, approved by the Federal Executive Council, would usher in a new era of efficiency. According to him, revenue from agencies under the ministry nearly doubled from ₦700.79 billion in 2023 to ₦1.39 trillion in 2024 — “the highest in Nigeria’s maritime history.” He linked the surge to reforms that sealed leakages, improved oversight, and modernised systems.
Akinola also pointed to the long-delayed CVFF disbursement, the establishment of a National Shipping Carrier through PPP, and the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Development Bank with headquarters in Nigeria.
On security, he said consolidation of the Deep Blue Project had delivered three consecutive years of zero piracy in Nigerian waters, leading to Nigeria’s removal from the list of global maritime high-risk zones. He highlighted the distribution of 42,000 life jackets to riverine communities, which had already saved lives in recent mishaps. The spokesman added that the ministry had facilitated a ₦200,000 minimum wage for maritime workers in SACFEA-member companies, launched initiatives to cut Nigeria’s $1.26 billion fish import bill, and intensified Nigeria’s campaign for re-election into the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council Category C. “These achievements are not just policies on paper,” Akinola maintained. “They are concrete actions that have changed the face of Nigeria’s maritime sector and positioned the country as a continental leader in the blue economy.”
Despite these claims, stakeholders insist the ministry must accelerate reforms, improve consultation, and enforce regulations more decisively. While its policy frameworks and global diplomacy have been praised, gaps in funding, inter-agency coordination, and implementation speed remain recurring concerns. As the ministry turns two, the consensus across the industry is that a solid foundation has been laid. Yet the next two years will be critical in determining whether the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is remembered as a catalyst for Nigeria’s maritime transformation — or as another bureaucracy with lofty visions but limited tangible impact.
