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The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has inaugurated a technical committee tasked with developing an actionable roadmap to accelerate fish production and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports.
Oyetola, who inaugurated the Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, said the initiative was designed to move the sector beyond policy recommendations to coordinated, measurable action.
He identified high production costs, particularly feed, inadequate access to quality fish seed and broodstock, weak fish-health systems, post-harvest losses and insufficient cold-chain infrastructure among the major constraints to domestic fish production.
Other challenges, he said, include limited access to affordable finance, research and innovation gaps, weak data systems, inadequate standards and traceability, and underdeveloped markets.
“Fish is an important source of animal protein for millions of Nigerians,” Oyetola said, stressing that fisheries and aquaculture also support livelihoods across production, processing, marketing and transportation.
According to him, the transfer of fisheries and aquaculture functions to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy provides a stronger institutional platform for tackling the sector’s challenges within Nigeria’s broader blue economy agenda.
Oyetola recalled that the ministry, in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), held a strategic roundtable on October 29, 2025, which produced recommendations for addressing constraints across the fisheries value chain.
He charged the new committee to critically assess the recommendations and convert viable proposals into a prioritised implementation roadmap.
“Your assignment is not to develop another policy or establish a parallel programme,” the minister told members, directing them to align their recommendations with existing national policies, laws, government programmes and institutional mandates.
The committee is expected to produce an implementation matrix detailing priority interventions, responsible institutions, timelines, indicative costs, funding options, performance indicators and required approvals.
It will also identify opportunities for private-sector investment, public-private partnerships and development financing while mapping existing initiatives to prevent duplication.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry and committee chairman, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Mahmood, pledged that members would thoroughly review the recommendations and develop practical interventions capable of delivering measurable improvements in fish production and food security.
Speaking on behalf of members, Prof. Akintola Shehu Latunji of Lagos State University assured the minister of the committee’s commitment to working with stakeholders to catalyse fish production nationwide.
The committee comprises representatives of government, academia, research institutions, professional bodies, industry and development organisations, including the Fisheries Society of Nigeria, Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Tilapia Development Association of Nigeria and WorldFish Nigeria.
The committee has eight weeks to submit its report.
