The country could unlock over N22.12 trillion in new value across ports, fisheries, logistics and offshore resources if it adopts a coordinated, solution-oriented blueprint for reforming its blue economy through public–private partnerships (PPPs), maritime experts have said.
The call was made at the 2025 Conference of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, where stakeholders argued that Nigeria must shift from diagnosing problems to implementing clear, measurable solutions that would rapidly boost competitiveness in the regional maritime economy—where the country currently contributes less than 15 per cent despite its vast potential.
Head of Research at the Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC), Dr. Eugene Nweke, said Nigeria already has the building blocks to transform its maritime sector, but needs a functional framework that aligns government, private capital, technology providers and coastal communities.
According to him, “The PPS framework goes beyond conventional PPPs. It is a developmental alliance where government, private investors, academia and communities share responsibility for co-creating, co-financing and co-monitoring blue economy initiatives.”
Nweke outlined a suite of practical interventions that he said could swiftly reposition Nigeria’s maritime sector and unlock significant economic value. He emphasised the need for an integrated port automation and multimodal transport system capable of efficiently handling the country’s 70 million metric tonnes of annual cargo.
According to him, such a system could save the economy up to N3 trillion in yearly trade costs. He also highlighted the urgent need to expand aquaculture and cold-chain infrastructure to close Nigeria’s 2.1 million-tonne fish deficit, cut $1 billion spent annually on fish imports, and create as many as 500,000 jobs.
Beyond the ports, Nweke identified vast opportunities in tourism and offshore resources. He noted that tapping just five per cent of Nigeria’s coastline for marine leisure activities could generate $3 billion (N4.13 trillion) annually, while sustainable exploration of gas reserves, renewables and seabed minerals could add another $10 billion (N14.7 trillion) each year.
He added that establishing a national barge operations system would further strengthen the logistics chain by creating 150,000 jobs, easing port congestion by 50 per cent, and opening up new inland industrial corridors that would stimulate wider economic productivity.

Nweke said these solutions are not theoretical, adding that African countries have already achieved similar gains.
He said: “Mauritius grew its blue economy contribution from 10 per cent in 2015 to 19 per cent in 2022 through PPP-driven fisheries and tourism, while Ghana’s Takoradi Port PPP attracted $350 million, doubled throughput and slashed public-sector cost by half.”
To fast-track these opportunities, Nweke outlined a set of structural reforms designed to give Nigeria’s blue economy a coordinated and investment-friendly framework. Central to his recommendations is the establishment of a National Blue Economy Council (NBEC) chaired by the Vice President, alongside making PPPs the default model for all marine infrastructure projects.
He also called for the enactment of a Blue Economy Investment Code to harmonise environmental, fiscal and industrial incentives while operationalising the National Maritime Data Repository (NMDR) to strengthen evidence-based planning.
Nweke further proposed institutionalising quarterly Public–Private Blue Economy Roundtables (PBBIR) to assess progress, strengthen collaboration and guide policy reviews. He added that deeper integration of Ajaokuta steel, inland mining and intermodal logistics into maritime development plans would ensure a more robust value chain, supporting both industrial growth and long-term sectoral competitiveness.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Senator Wasiu Eshilokun, said the National Assembly is ready to support any reform that strengthens Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness and closes infrastructure gaps.
According to him, “We must modernise our existing ports and develop new deep-sea ports to increase efficiency and handle larger volumes of cargo.”
He also called for solution-oriented intervention in fisheries and aquaculture.
“We need sustainable fisheries practices, improved aquaculture technology and enhanced research to boost food security and create livelihoods,” he said.
Eshilokun added that Nigeria must expand investments in marine renewable energy, biotechnology and deep-sea mining, while strengthening the nation’s legal and judicial frameworks to protect maritime investments and resolve disputes faster.

• Trains maritime police to curb clearance bottlenecks

By Grace Edet

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has intensified efforts to tackle the country’s prolonged cargo clearance delays—currently averaging 21 days, and considered one of the longest globally, by strengthening collaboration with the Maritime Police Command through a new capacity-building programme.
The workshop with the theme: “Facilitating Port Efficiency: The Strategic Role of the Maritime Police”, held yesterday, in Lagos.
Declaring the training open on behalf of the Council’s Executive Secretary/CEO Pius Akutah, the Director, Regulatory Services Department, Margaret Ogbonnah, said the event marks “a high-point” in the port regulator’s long-standing partnership with the Nigeria Police, especially as the Federal Government pushes for more efficient port operations under the blue economy reform agenda.
In his remarks, the ES noted that the country continues to lag behind regional and global peers in cargo clearance speed.
“While it takes only 6 hours to clear a containerised cargo in Singapore and seven days in Lomé, it takes an average of 21 days or more in Nigerian ports. This has contributed to Nigeria’s low global perception index on Ease of Doing Business,” he said.
He explained that despite several government interventions, reductions in dwell time have been hindered by a combination of operational gaps and human-factor-related delays.
Akutah said the Council has received reports from port stakeholders about various forms of interference affecting cargo movement, including detention orders placed on cargo already cleared through due process, operational disruptions linked to multi-layered enforcement activities, and accidents involving personnel of shipping companies and terminals
He emphasised that such actions—whether arising from misunderstandings or procedural oversights, tend to extend dwell time and increase demurrage and storage charges for businesses.
“Investigations often showed that some actions were carried out without the knowledge of the appropriate authorities within the Maritime Police Command,” he said.
This, he added, prompted both institutions to engage the Inspector General of Police in 2018, resulting in a directive that only letters signed by the AIG or duly designated officers should be acted upon, thereby streamlining enforcement communication at the ports.
“Together, we have achieved quite a lot, but we cannot rest on past achievements. Our focus must be firmly on attaining international best practices,” Akutah said.
Represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Administration, Ports Authority Police, Western Command, ACP Olufikayo Fawole, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Maritime Command), AIG Chinedu Oko, commended the NSC for sustaining a collaborative platform that supports law enforcement efficiency within the maritime environment.
“Modern port security goes far beyond traditional policing. The efficiency of our ports depends significantly on how effectively law enforcement interfaces with operators, regulators, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and the wider supply chain,” he said.
He stressed that the Maritime Police play a critical role in securing maritime assets, deterring cargo-related crimes, preventing pilferage, and ensuring that legitimate trade flows without avoidable friction.
“Your professionalism and integrity directly influence the confidence of shippers, investors, and the international maritime community,” he told participating officers.
Delivering the technical paper on behalf of the AIG, DCP Chukwuemeka Obasi said the efficiency of the country’s ports is inseparable from the security framework supporting them.
He outlined three key reform pillars guiding police operations toward improved port efficiency. The first focused on operational streamlining by harmonising enforcement roles with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service, NIMASA and other agencies to eliminate duplication.
The second emphasised technology integration, particularly the deployment of digital surveillance systems, cargo-monitoring platforms and intelligence tools under initiatives such as the Deep Blue Project. The third pillar centred on strengthening stakeholder collaboration by enhancing joint task forces and port security committees to ensure more coordinated maritime security responses.
However, he noted persistent challenges including overlapping mandates among agencies, limited patrol and surveillance logistics, legal bottlenecks in prosecuting maritime offences, and ethical concerns that can undermine efficiency.
To address these, he recommended joint security frameworks, expanded specialised training, smart surveillance, legal reforms, and stronger accountability systems, insisting that policing must support, not obstruct, trade facilitation.
In closing, the NSC boss reaffirmed that port efficiency cannot be achieved by one institution alone.
“Our mandate as Port Economic Regulator is to ensure efficiency, but it requires synergy with the Maritime Police and all stakeholders. This training is part of our commitment to educating officers and promoting global standards in port operations,” he said.
He commended officers of the Council and the Maritime Police Command for their role in organising the programme and urged participants to apply lessons learned to their daily operational decisions.
With Nigeria still grappling with a 21-day average cargo dwell time, the NSC says eliminating procedural bottlenecks, improving security coordination, and strengthening professionalism within port corridors remain central to restoring competitiveness. The Council and the Maritime Police believe that enhanced capacity, technology-driven enforcement and regulatory collaboration will be key to improving trade facilitation and supporting the country’s blue economy ambitions.

By Grace Edet

The World Customs Organisation (WCO) has said Africa stands on the brink of major maritime trade expansion if customs administrations accelerate modernisation and deepen regional cooperation.
WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders made the statement at the Customs–Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade (C-PACT) conference on Tuesday, noting that improved customs systems will drive efficiency across ports, transit corridors, and regional supply chains.
Saunders said modernising customs operations was central to boosting Africa’s competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning the continent’s seaports and logistics hubs for increased global traffic.
“The realities of international trade and the ambitions of AfCFTA make modernising customs systems, processes, and governance essential to achieving smoother, faster, and more predictable cross-border transactions across Africa,” he said.
Speaking on the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” Saunders acknowledged Africa’s logistical constraints but emphasised the resilience and growing sophistication of customs administrations across the continent.
He noted that despite infrastructure gaps and complex transit procedures, customs officials continue to “operate effectively, demonstrating resilience, adaptability, and consistent efficiency” in managing cross-border trade in diverse environments.
Saunders said the strongest gains for Africa’s maritime and land-based trade will come from coordinated reforms backed by technology, stronger partnerships, and digitised border processes.
“It involves building IT systems capable of capturing all border transaction data through integrated single-window systems, improving efficiency, transparency, and predictability for cross-border trade operations across multiple jurisdictions,” he explained.
He added that modern trade facilitation depends on advanced measures such as pre-submission of information, risk assessment, post-clearance audits, and streamlined origin-certification procedures.
“The value of these processes lies in predictability, timely decisions, and focusing scrutiny where warranted, ensuring efficient trade while maintaining compliance and border security,” he said.
Saunders advocated stronger collaboration among customs administrations, policymakers, political leaders, and border agencies to fully unlock trade opportunities.
“Maximising trade opportunities requires collaboration among customs authorities, trade policymakers, political leaders, and other government agencies responsible for border clearance and facilitation,” he said.
He emphasised that traders, logistics providers, and maritime service actors remain central to the continent’s trade growth. Their input, he said, “supplied the goods, services, and options critical to meeting trade expectations and promoting regional economic growth.”
According to him, stronger public–private partnerships create a “healthier trade ecosystem,” enabling more coherent, efficient, and secure border management.
Saunders highlighted efficient transit as a cornerstone of regional integration, especially for landlocked states relying on seaports for imports and exports.
“In Africa, efficient transit procedures, including the use of carnés, reduce delays, ensure predictable treatment for traders, and complement other procedural measures established by the WCO for customs guidance,” he added.
Describing the C-PACT conference as a turning point, Saunders said it offers Africa a platform to build stronger systems, deepen economic integration, and strengthen its position in global trade.
“I am confident that the discussions, strengthened partnerships, and insights gained here will generate momentum, bringing Africa closer to its trade aspirations and reinforcing its position in the global economy,” he said.
With port reforms, digital customs systems, and regional coordination gaining momentum, the WCO believes Africa is well-placed to unlock new maritime trade corridors, attract investment, and strengthen its export competitiveness under AfCFTA.