Nigeria’s blue economy potential could emerge as a promising alternative to the country’s heavy reliance on crude oil if effectively harnessed.
Director General, National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Dr Olusola Odusanya stated this in a chat with reporters in Abuja. Dr Odusanya applauded the President Bola Tinubu administration for establishing a dedicated ministry to drive the development of the blue economy and marine resources.
He noted that the country’s vast under-utilized blue economy offers huge opportunities for growth and development to overcome its present economic challenge.
According to data from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), it is estimated that Nigeria’s untapped blue economy potential is valued at $296 billion.
The NACETEM DG explained that sustainable exploitation of resources in the blue economy can lead to job creation, improved food security, tourism and infrastructure development, green energy, among other benefits.
“The fact that this new government recognizes the need to set up a Ministry of Blue Economy is indicative of the fact that we are conscious that certain losses are there. When you talk of the biological or living part of the blue economy, we are not playing any significant role there.
“Our resources are under-fished. Because most people come with all these equipment and they see that there is a school of fish in abundance, they tend to come to Nigeria, during the process of shipping oil and gas resources, they also keep a tank where they take some fish along because there is an abundance.
“And most of our fishermen cannot go to the intercontinental shelf where the waters are calmer and you can approach the fishery resources there. And this is simply because the boats they use are ill-equipped to go that distance.
“So, you can see why we are not even able to get to where our resources are. It is like you have a forest and you don’t even know the extent of the forest. So, how can you now determine what you are using?
“And this government has set the pace by introducing the blue economy as a very important aspect of its development because we are missing out on the opportunities in that sector”, he said.
He called for the introduction of ‘single fisheries resources’ with the help of technology, stressing that the agency has keyed into the eight-point agenda of the present administration.
Odusanya hinted that the agency would put its audit report on its website from January 2024, adding that it is ready to provide data of certified engineers to enable Science, Technology and Innovation planners make informed decisions.
He said: “Being a public trust institution, one of the reasons why Nigerian research institutes don’t get funding is because they do not present themselves as public trust institutions. One is the issues I saw was issues of governance within NACETEM. And in response, one of the first things we did was to look at our systems and I immediately constituted a situation where as a public trust institution, come January, you will see our audit report on our website. All public trust institutions that get funding from donor agencies always put their audit report online. So that those who will fund them will know that this is not a black box.
If you give them money for A, they will do A. And report for what you have funded them for. Because many Nigerian entities don’t publish their annual audit report on time, it has become an issue where most donor support will not go to Nigerian institutions. We are moving away from a bad situation to a good one and hopefully a better one.”The agency, according to him, is designed to train middle and high level manpower in the Science, Technology and Innovation sector.
