By Oluyinka Onigbinde
President of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s continued dependence on fish imports despite its vast marine resources, revealing that the country spends nearly $1 billion annually importing fish to bridge a widening domestic supply gap.
Dangote, whose keynote address was delivered on his behalf by the Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Akin Omole, at the recently-held Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s Second Quarter 2026 Citizens/Stakeholders’ Engagement in Lagos, said the situation presents one of the biggest investment opportunities in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
According to him, Nigeria’s local fish production rose from approximately 1.1 million metric tonnes in 2024 to about 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025, yet the country still records an estimated annual fish supply deficit of 3.6 million metric tonnes.
He noted that the huge shortfall has forced Nigeria to rely heavily on imports, resulting in an annual import bill of close to $1 billion.
“This is not merely a food security challenge; it is an industrial and investment opportunity,” Dangote said.
He stressed that strategic investments across the fisheries value chain—including aquaculture, hatcheries, feed production, cold-chain logistics, fish processing and export infrastructure—could significantly reduce import dependence while stimulating economic growth.
According to him, with the right policy environment and stronger private sector participation, investments in the fisheries value chain could create more than 500,000 jobs, strengthen national food security, conserve foreign exchange and position Nigeria as a competitive exporter of fisheries products.
Dangote observed that although Nigeria possesses enormous marine resources and an extensive coastline, the country’s blue economy remains largely underdeveloped.
He noted that the sector currently contributes less than three per cent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product despite the nation’s 853-kilometre Atlantic coastline, expansive Exclusive Economic Zone and vast inland waterways.
He attributed the underperformance to inadequate infrastructure, regulatory bottlenecks and limited access to long-term financing, insisting that unlocking the sector’s full potential would require sustained private sector investment backed by consistent government policies.
The industrialist also reiterated that government alone cannot finance the transformation of the marine and blue economy, calling for stronger public-private partnerships to accelerate investment in critical sectors.
He identified priority investment areas to include port infrastructure and logistics, maritime manufacturing and shipbuilding, fisheries and aquaculture, marine technology and data services, marine renewable energy and coastal tourism.
Dangote maintained that every generation is presented with defining economic opportunities, describing Nigeria’s marine and blue economy as one of the country’s greatest untapped assets.
He urged investors to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the sector, saying Nigeria already has the natural resources and policy direction required to build globally competitive maritime industries.
“The true measure of success will not be the policies we formulate, but the industries we build; not the strategies we publish, but the jobs we create; not the investments we announce, but the prosperity we deliver to millions of Nigerians,” he said.
