By Oluyinka Onigbinde
Nigeria is positioning itself as the next major destination for global maritime investment as the Federal Government wooed Danish investors to its expanding marine and blue economy sector, with assurances of incentives, policy support, and strong commercial returns.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, made the pitch on Wednesday during a bilateral meeting with Denmark’s Minister for Business and Competitiveness, Martin Lidegaard, in Copenhagen.
The meeting formed part of the activities of the official Nigerian Ministerial Delegation to Denmark on Maritime and the Blue Economy, led by Oyetola. Discussions focused on investment, maritime infrastructure, technology transfer, green transition, port efficiency, skills development, and sustainable economic growth.
Oyetola said Nigeria had completed the phase of establishing the institutional framework for the marine and blue economy and was now moving into project development, investment mobilisation, and improved sector performance.
“Nigeria is looking for partnerships that can improve sector performance, attract investment, deploy technology, strengthen skills and safety, advance sustainability and create quality jobs,” Oyetola said.
He told his Danish counterpart that Nigeria’s marine and blue economy is now fully open for business, with opportunities across ports and logistics, shipbuilding and repair, maritime services, digital technology, fisheries, green shipping, renewable energy, marine infrastructure, financing, and multimodal connectivity.
The Minister cited Nigeria’s extensive coastline, inland waterways, large consumer market, and strategic location within West and Central Africa as key advantages that give investors access to the entire maritime value chain.
He noted that the presence of Danish-origin companies already operating in Nigeria’s maritime sector proves the viability of the market and provides a foundation to deepen commercial relations.
“The presence of some Danish companies in Nigeria provides a strong foundation on which we can build. We want to deepen that relationship and create conditions for more Danish businesses, investors and technology providers to participate in Nigeria’s maritime transformation,” he said.
Oyetola urged Danish businesses to look beyond existing investments and explore emerging opportunities in the maritime value chain, stressing that Nigeria needs strategic partners capable of bringing capital, technology, expertise, and innovation.
According to him, the Nigeria-Denmark engagement is designed to move beyond broad diplomatic commitments towards identifying bankable projects and practical partnerships that can deliver measurable economic outcomes.
For Denmark, which has internationally recognised expertise in shipping, maritime services, logistics, green technologies, and sustainable ocean industries, Oyetola said Nigeria presents an opportunity to combine Danish technology and expertise with the scale and commercial potential of Africa’s largest economy.
In response, Denmark’s Martin Lidegaard, welcomed the prospect of closer engagement with Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy agenda. He stressed the importance of practical partnerships involving businesses, government institutions, technology providers, and knowledge institutions.
He said such collaborations would be critical to developing solutions that could be implemented, expanded, and commercially sustained in both countries.
Members of the Nigerian delegation included the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Fatima Mahmood; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Marine and Blue Economy, Professor Busayo Fakinlede; Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho; Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, Dr. Pius Akutah; and Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, among others.
