The country’s port system is being repositioned as the engine room of a new blue economy strategy aimed at unlocking investment, boosting trade competitiveness and reversing its underperformance in regional cargo traffic, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said.

Speaking at the Blue Economy Investment Summit in Abuja, Managing Director of the authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, declared that ongoing reforms and increasing private sector participation are positioning Nigeria at the forefront of Africa’s blue economy growth, with ports expected to play a central role in driving the shift.

Dantsoho, however, highlighted a critical imbalance that underscores the urgency of reform: Nigeria currently handles only about 25 per cent of West Africa’s cargo traffic despite accounting for more than 60 per cent of the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“This clearly shows that we have not fully optimised our potential,” he said.

He stressed that the Federal Government’s reform agenda, being driven through the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, is designed to reverse this trend by modernising port infrastructure, improving efficiency and aligning operations with global maritime standards.

“The time has come for a paradigm shift in the structure of Nigeria’s economy towards the full utilisation of our marine resources. Our port system, if properly harnessed, can serve as a major driver of economic growth,” Dantsoho said.

The NPA boss positioned the reform programme as a strategic play to attract investment and deepen Nigeria’s competitiveness in global shipping. Key initiatives include port modernisation, deployment of a Trade Single Window, implementation of a Port Community System, development of deep seaports and full digitalisation of port operations.

“This is to reposition our ports for global competitiveness,” he added.

He emphasised that private capital will be critical to bridging infrastructure gaps, noting that the authority is actively promoting project financing models to accelerate delivery and improve operational efficiency.

“We are open to private sector participation through project financing. This approach is already improving efficiency and providing access to funding for critical infrastructure,” Dantsoho said.

According to him, the reforms are expected to deliver measurable commercial outcomes across the maritime value chain, including improved liner connectivity, the attraction of larger vessels, reduced freight costs and expansion of Nigeria’s non-oil export base.

“The ultimate goal is to improve liner connectivity, attract bigger vessels, reduce freight costs, and expand our export base, which will significantly boost revenue generation.

“Competitiveness in the global maritime industry requires efficient operations, competitive pricing and strong hinterland connectivity.

“Nigerian ports must remain adaptive to evolving global shipping trends. With sustained commitment to these initiatives, Nigeria’s port system will enter a new phase and emerge as a leading maritime logistics hub in Africa,” he said.

Dantsoho also pointed to Nigeria’s inherent structural advantages, including its strategic geographic position, large domestic market and economic scale, as factors that could support its ambition to become a regional maritime hub comparable to established global centres.

“By virtue of our strategic location, market size and economic strength, Nigeria is well-positioned to function as the maritime hub for West Africa,” he said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, reinforced the investment case for the sector, citing the country’s expansive coastline and inland waterways network as key assets.

He noted that Nigeria’s more than 823-kilometre coastline and its location along the Gulf of Guinea provide a natural advantage for maritime trade and logistics, while recent reforms have strengthened institutional coordination, enhanced maritime security and boosted investor confidence.

Oyetola added that the maritime sector already accounts for over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s international trade by volume, underscoring its central role in the country’s economic architecture and the urgency of fully unlocking its blue economy potential.

The Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) Oron, has unveiled community-focused investments, policy alignment efforts, and stakeholder partnerships aimed at deepening industry capacity and local economic integration.

At its First Quarter 2026 Citizens and Stakeholders’ Engagement in Oron, the Academy positioned community collaboration, infrastructure development, and private sector alignment as critical levers for translating national blue economy policies into measurable economic outcomes.

The engagement, with the theme “Leveraging Community Partnership for Effective Implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” brought together regulators, industry leaders, and host community representatives, highlighting a coordinated push to align maritime training, grassroots development, and investment flows.

Welcoming stakeholders, the Acting Rector, Dr. Kevin Okonna, described the quarterly engagement framework as a performance-driven mechanism for bridging policy and execution.

“It is pertinent to remind us that the purpose of the quarterly Citizens/Stakeholders’ engagement meeting is to inform the citizens and stakeholders of government’s policies, programmes and projects, obtain the citizens’ buy-in and partnership in the development and implementation of the policies, programmes and projects,” he said.

He noted that sustained stakeholder engagement has begun to yield tangible workforce outcomes, particularly in bridging the industry’s long-standing sea-time training gap.

“The engagement emphasised the need for public-private sector collaboration. The result of that engagement was swift and remarkable as 80 of the 221 graduating cadets were given either automatic employment or seatime training opportunities during the 2025 Cadets graduation ceremony,” Okonna stated.

Building on that momentum, the Academy, he noted, has secured a structured training pipeline through a three-year Memorandum of Agreement with NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited, facilitating onboard placement for cadets.

“A total of 43 Cadets from the Academy have been placed onboard NLNG ships for their STCW Mandatory One-year Seatime experience between December 2025 and February 2026,” he added.

Okonna further attributed the institution’s operational stability to strong backing from host stakeholders, noting that support from Akwa Ibom State, Oron Local Government, and the Eyo-Abasi community has been instrumental, with the Academy reciprocating through local economic contributions such as outsourced security and environmental services.

He, however, flagged infrastructure constraints, explaining that despite heavy investment in rehabilitating the Eket–Oron power supply line, “PHED-reported nationally influenced electricity challenges have hindered the derivation of the full benefit of this investment.”

In his remarks, Governing Council Chairman, Kehinde Olayinka Akinola, underscored the policy significance of stakeholder engagement within the Federal Government’s inclusiveness agenda under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We gather here in compliance with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s directive to hold Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement to communicate Government activities to the citizens as a way of inclusiveness in governance,” he said.

Akinola reaffirmed the Academy’s global standing, anchored on compliance with International Maritime Organization standards, particularly the STCW Convention.

“The graduates of the Academy are sought after by the industry because of the standard. In 2025 graduation ceremony, about 80 cadets got instant employment opportunity as a result of the confidence which the industry has for the products of the Academy,” he stated.

He also cautioned against proposals to convert the specialised institution into a conventional university, warning that such a move could dilute its core mandate.

“Converting the Academy to a University would undoubtedly bring changes, but we must consider whether this shift would enhance or dilute our focus. Our strength lies in our specialised programmes, industry connections, global recognition and hand-on-training.

“Let’s retain the essence of what makes our Maritime Academy exceptional. By doing so, we’ll continue to produce skilled professionals, drive economic growth, and foster meaningful partnership,” Akinola said.

From an industry standpoint, Director General of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Vivian Chimezie-Azubuike, reframed community integration as a core economic strategy.

“Formalising these partnerships is not just a social duty; it is a strategic economic necessity,” she said, noting that informal maritime activities such as artisanal fishing and local logistics underpin sector resilience.

She called for a shift in investor perception toward coastal communities.

“We must move beyond seeing these areas as mere ‘host communities’ and start viewing them as ‘investment hubs,’” she said, adding that targeted investments in infrastructure, cold chain systems and sustainable aquaculture would unlock sector-wide value.

Chimezie-Azubuike described the Academy’s newly commissioned projects as “the ‘infrastructure of dignity’, providing the tools for local traders to thrive and ensure clean energy and water for the community.”

On the community front, Chairman of the Host Community Relations Committee, Okokon Paul Eyo, acknowledged the Academy’s interventions but pressed for deeper institutional frameworks.

“We humbly and respectfully appeal to formalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Host Community and the Academy. This is not a mere formality, but a crucial step towards building a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship,” he said.

Eyo also highlighted employment concerns, noting limited representation of indigenes within the institution.

“We plead the Chairman and Rector to consider employing qualified community members. This will also demonstrate the academy’s commitment to developing the local human capital and contributing to the community’s socio-economic growth,” he added, while also requesting welfare support for the committee and reminding management of an outstanding bus pledge.

Traditional leadership reinforced the development impact, with the Paramount Ruler of Oron, Offong Odiong Akan, commending the Academy’s targeted interventions.

“The construction of a modern market in EyoAbasi Community will significantly enhance local commerce, create economic opportunities, and improve the livelihoods of our people,” he said.

He added that the solar-powered borehole would “provide access to clean and safe drinking water,” while solar installations at the palace promote sustainable energy adoption.

At the centre of the engagement was the commissioning of three CSR projects under the Academy’s 2025 appropriation: seven lock-up shops and 19 open stalls in Eyo-Abasi, a 600-litre solar-powered borehole in Udung Okung, and a 10KVA solar installation at the palace of the Paramount Ruler.

Collectively, stakeholders agreed that aligning maritime training, private capital, and community development frameworks remains critical to unlocking Nigeria’s marine and blue economy potential, with the Maritime Academy emerging as a central platform for executing that strategy.

The process of disbursing the long-awaited Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to Nigerian shipowners has commenced, the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, Uduak Odudoh, has said.

He credited the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola and the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dayo Moberola, for driving the milestone.

Odudoh made the disclosure during the committee’s oversight visit to the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State – a visit that also laid bare the institution’s most ambitious one-year performance record in recent memory under Acting Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna.

“By the grace of God, and the wisdom of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and the effort of the Director-General of NIMASA, the processes of releasing those funds to shipowners in Nigeria has started,” Odudoh told cadets assembled at the parade ground. “In less than no time, those monies will be disbursed. Once they are disbursed, shipowners will now expand — if they were having one ship, they will go to two ships, more vessels.”

The lawmaker, who represents Ikot Abasi/Mkpat Enin/Eastern Obolo Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom State, said the fleet expansion triggered by CVFF disbursement would directly benefit MAN graduates, describing the institution as the most efficient maritime training academy in West Africa, recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). “It is our wish that once you finish, like your predecessors who are today onboard vessels, you will also be onboard vessels when you leave,” he told the cadets.

The committee’s visit came against the backdrop of a presentation by Acting Rector Dr. Kevin Okonna, who laid out a sweeping account of the academy’s 2025 performance that drew sustained commendation from lawmakers across party and state lines.

Okonna disclosed that of the 212 cadets who graduated from MAN in November 2025, 80 have since secured employment onboard vessels, a figure that electrified the committee and addressed the academy’s most persistent challenge: post-graduation unemployment. “During those years, the challenges had always been: where would the graduating cadet officers go after graduation? Today, the rector reeled out that about 80, as we speak, have onboard vessel. That gives you hope” Odudoh recalled.

A centerpiece of the academy’s employment drive is a three-year Memorandum of Agreement signed with NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NLMSL), which has already placed 43 cadets aboard NLNG vessels — 13 in December 2024 and a further 30 in late February 2026. Okonna noted that the Nigerian Shipowners Association also provided critical onboarding opportunities during the graduation period, with stakeholders visibly competing to recruit MAN cadets.

“It was during the graduation when I saw how stakeholders scrambled for cadets that it dawned on me that the Maritime Academy under Okonna has indeed made a lot of improvements,” Rep. Paul Ekpo, representing Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom, said. “The graduation ceremony was a very rewarding event — not just taking a child here and at the end of the day they struggle to get a place to work.”

Okonna noted that on March 11, 2026, the eve of the committee’s visit, MAN Oron received certification of its quality management system from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, conforming to ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001:2025. He described it as a landmark, noting the academy had never held quality management certification since its establishment in 1977.

The rector also announced active partnership negotiations with the Liberia Maritime Authority, driven by MAN’s ambition to attract foreign students and generate additional sea-time opportunities for Nigerian cadets.

“Liberia has the largest fleet of vessels in the world, yet does not have an institution near what we have. We approached Liberia to send their youths to MAN Oron, and in return, our cadets will gain sea-time training advantages aboard Liberian vessels,” Okonna explained.

He said a delegation including members of the academy’s governing council recently visited Monrovia for talks, with officials from the Liberian Maritime Training Institution expressing eagerness to visit the Oron campus.

Other 2025 milestones presented by Okonna included the establishment of the academy’s first-ever staff conditions of service, approved by the Head of Service of the Federation, and the development of a five-year strategic development plan submitted to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The academy, he said, also registered all graduating cadets with at least one international professional body: nautical science cadets with the Nautical Institute, marine engineering cadets with E-Marit, and maritime transport studies cadets with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). An MOU with the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control was also signed, following the academy’s development of a training course for Port State Control Officers in the sub-region.

He said wtudent numbers rose from 180 graduates in 2024 to 221 in 2025, while participation in specialised training courses climbed from 4,595 to 4,959 in the same period. The campus, he said, currently hosts 654 regular cadets across programmes in nautical science, marine engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, and maritime transport and business management.

The visit included an on-the-spot inspection of capital projects funded through the 2025 appropriation, including rehabilitation of the academy’s fire bay and survival pools, construction of a 500-seater auditorium complex, new access and internal roads, and the installation of solar-powered boreholes for the campus and host community.

Engr. Rodney Ambaiowei, the lawmaker representing Southern Ijaw in Rivers State and himself a former beneficiary of MAN’s practical training facilities during his engineering studies, commended the management while flagging budget inadequacies. “It is very appalling to see the meagre sums allocated for trainings for cadets and the even smaller amounts actually released,” he told the committee. “If we want this school to move forward, we have to improve on the budget to fund the institution in order to attract foreign students.”

Ambaiowei also advised the academy’s management to actively lobby National Assembly members to channel constituency capital projects to the institution.

Olufemi Ogunbanwo, representing Ijebu Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu North East Federal Constituency in Ogun State, echoed those calls. “I want to commend you on the way and manner you have managed the meagre amount made available to you, and I plead with my colleagues that we should look at ways of bringing projects to support the academy,” he said, pledging the committee’s continued backing.

Mark Esset, representing Uyo/Uruan/Nsit Atai/Asutan/Ibesikpo Federal Constituency in Akwa Ibom and a self-described “son of the soil,” gave perhaps the most pointed assessment. Contrasting this visit with a previous oversight that devolved into open conflict between management and staff, Esset declared the transformation remarkable. “Last time we came, there was almost a physical fistfight between the Rector and the staff. Today the reverse is the situation — you have shown capacity, leadership, and the spirit of teamwork.”

He also raised the question of pending litigation between MAN and staff, as well as with the host community, and Okonna confirmed that while cases remain active, many have been resolved and no new ones are being added.

On the corporate social responsibility front, Okonna detailed how the academy constructed a market for the Eyo Abasi host community, installed a solar-powered borehole in response to complaints about river water consumption, restored public electricity supply to the Oron community after an eight-year blackout, and provided solar power to the palace of the Paramount ruler — initiatives Odudoh specifically commended.

Wrapping up the oversight, Odudoh delivered the committee’s verdict unequivocally. “From what the rector briefed us and what we have seen on ground, we are satisfied — satisfied in the areas of infrastructure, satisfied in the area of international partnership. What we noticed is that the rector has consolidated on the performances of his predecessor and improved upon that.”

Asked what MAN should expect from the National Assembly in 2026’s budgetary cycle, Odudoh drew a direct link between accountability and funding. “The most important thing is not approving the budget, the most important thing is accountability. Today, the rector has displayed the level of accountability we expected. Going forward, we will not hesitate giving him subsequent approvals.”

Okonna further noted the institution sits on about 100 hectares of land and remains committed to delivering internationally recognised maritime education and training in line with global standards.

“Our vision is to be internationally recognised as a centre of excellence in maritime education and training, and the support from the National Assembly has been instrumental in helping us maintain and upgrade our facilities,” he said.

In his closing remarks, Okonna urged Nigerians and international stakeholders alike to view the academy as a national asset worth protecting. “You don’t have two or many institutions with the size of this one and these facilities. We have to put hands together to get the benefit from the academy and that’s why we are driving this international partnership with every energy in us to bring international students to benefit because it’s enormous. We have to protect it, promote it, and get the best benefit from this facility,” he said.