Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has unveiled a technical committee to drive policy implementation as part of measures to boost the country’s fish production and thereby reduce dependence on imported fish products.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the new body tagged: Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria” in Abuja, Thursday, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, said the initiative was designed at moving beyond policy recommendations to coordinated action capable of delivering measurable improvements in the country’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.

According to him, fish remained a critical source of animal protein for millions of Nigerians, while the fisheries and aquaculture value chain provided livelihoods through production, processing, marketing, transportation and other related services.

“Fish is an important source of animal protein for millions of Nigerians. The fisheries and aquaculture sector sustains livelihoods across production, processing, marketing, transportation and related services. However, domestic production remains substantially below national demand, with consequences for food security, household incomes and foreign-exchange resources,” the Minister said.

Oyetola identified high production costs, particularly the cost of feed, inadequate access to quality fish seed and broodstock, weak fish-health and biosecurity systems, post-harvest losses and insufficient cold-chain and storage infrastructure among the major challenges confronting the sector.

He also cited limited access to affordable finance, gaps in research and innovation, weak data systems, as well as inadequate standards, traceability and market development as constraints that must be urgently addressed.

“The transfer of fisheries and aquaculture functions to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has provided a stronger institutional platform for addressing these challenges as part of Nigeria’s broader blue-economy development.”

“The ministry is therefore committed to increasing sustainable domestic fish production, strengthening the fisheries value chain and progressively reducing Nigeria’s dependence on fish imports.

You would recall that the ministry, in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies NIPSS, convened a strategic roundtable on October 29, 2025 on accelerating fish production in Nigeria, which produced recommendations aimed at addressing production and value-chain constraints.

“This newly inaugurated committee has been constituted to rigorously assess those recommendations and turn validated proposals into a practical, prioritised implementation roadmap”, he said.

“Your assignment is not to develop another policy or establish a parallel programme,” Oyetola told members of the committee, stressing that the report of the roundtable must be assessed against the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, relevant laws, existing government programmes and the statutory mandates of relevant institutions.

He charged the committee to scrutinise every recommendation and determine whether it should be adopted, refined, integrated into existing frameworks, subjected to further study or set aside as unviable.

The committee is also expected to map existing initiatives across the public, private and development sectors to strengthen proven strategies and prevent duplication in the deployment of scarce resources.

“Your final output should include a clear implementation roadmap and matrix setting out the priority interventions, responsible institutions, timelines, indicative costs, funding options, performance indicators and required approvals. It should also identify credible opportunities for private-sector investment, public-private partnerships, development finance and other sustainable funding arrangements,” he said.

The minister urged members of the technical committee, drawn from government, academia, professional bodies, research institutions and industry, to approach the assignment with urgency, objectivity and a strong focus on results.

He said their recommendations must be realistic, evidence-based and financially responsible, while delivering tangible gains in fish production, job creation and food security.

Oyetola assured the committee of the ministry’s institutional support and expressed confidence that its work would provide a practical pathway for accelerating growth in Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and Chairman of the committee, Mrs Fatima Sugra Mahmood, assured that the committee would approach its mandate with a strong sense of responsibility, ensuring that the recommendations of the roundtable would be thoroughly reviewed and translated into practical interventions capable of delivering measurable results.

She said the committee would work closely with relevant government institutions, researchers, industry stakeholders and development partners to identify priority actions, address existing gaps and develop a realistic implementation roadmap to accelerate sustainable fish production, strengthen the fisheries value chain and contribute to Nigeria’s food security and economic development.

A member of the committee, Prof Akintola Shehu Latunji, Professor of Fisheries at Lagos State University, who spoke on behalf of other members, thanked the Minister for inaugurating the committee. He said the committee would work with relevant stakeholders to deliver its mandate and catalyse fish production across the country.

Members of the committee include the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Mahmood, who serves as Chairman; Mr. Omoragbon Wellington, Director, Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Abuja; Mr. Garba Usman, Director, Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Lagos Office; Prof Ayo Omotayo, Director-General, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies; Prof Sule Abiodun, Executive Director, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research; Prof Akintola Shehu Latunji of Lagos State University; and Prof Sadiku Suleiman Omeiza of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Others are Dr. Faith Izibenua Zibs-Godwin, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy; Dr. Charles Okaga, Technical Assistant to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy; Dr. Ebinimi Ansa, President, Fisheries Society of Nigeria; Mr. Onoja Sunday, President, Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria; Mr. Mashi Gabriel Sani, President, Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria; Mr. Remi Ahmed, President, Tilapia Development Association of Nigeria; and Dr. Charles Iyangbe, Country Representative, WorldFish Nigeria.

The committee has been given eight weeks to submit its findings.