Dangote backs blue economy to create 500,000 jobs

The President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has said strategic investments in aquaculture, hatcheries, feed production, processing, cold-chain logistics and export infrastructure could reduce imports, conserve foreign exchange, create more than 500,000 jobs and position Nigeria as a leading exporter of fisheries products.

Dangote stated this in Lagos while speaking at the recent Second Quarter 2026 Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

The engagement, themed “From Policy to Action: Mobilising Sub-National Governments for Effective Implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” brought together government officials, diplomats, development partners, industry leaders, academics and representatives of state governments.

In his paper presentation titled, “Driving Private Sector Investment and Industrialisation in Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy: Opportunities for Sustainable Economic Growth,” Dangote, who was represented by the Managing Director of Dangote Port Operations, Simeon Omole, said, “This is not merely a food security challenge; it is an industrial and investment opportunity.

“Strategic investment across the fisheries value chain, from aquaculture and hatcheries to feed production, cold-chain logistics, processing, and export infrastructure, supported by private sector leadership and an enabling government environment, can strengthen food security, reduce imports, conserve foreign exchange, create over 500,000 jobs, and position Nigeria as a competitive exporter of fisheries products.”

Dangote explained that the successful implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy would depend largely on sustained private sector participation.

He noted that the policy targets the creation of three million jobs within its first four years, annual sectoral growth of seven per cent and the reservation of at least 50 per cent of new jobs for young people aged 18 to 35.

He said industrial transformation required policy consistency, quality infrastructure, access to finance, and investor confidence. Dangote identified infrastructure-led industrialisation, value-chain development and stronger public-private partnerships as the three pillars needed to unlock the sector’s enormous potential.

He said the Federal Government’s approval of major deep seaport projects in various parts of the country would stimulate industrial clusters incorporating agro-processing, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, cold-chain logistics and maritime technology, while boosting Nigeria’s competitiveness.

Dangote further identified the fisheries value chain as a major investment opportunity, noting that despite rising domestic production, Nigeria still imported fish worth nearly $1bn annually because of a significant supply deficit.

He also stressed that public-private partnerships should go beyond financing arrangements to become strategic collaborations involving government, investors, research institutions and coastal communities.

According to him, coastal industrial clusters supported by modern ports, Special Economic Zones, and digital infrastructure would attract long-term investment and accelerate industrialisation.

Earlier, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, called for stronger collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and development partners to accelerate the implementation of Nigeria’s National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, describing sub-national participation as critical to unlocking the sector’s vast economic potential.

Oyetola said Nigeria had moved beyond policy formulation and must now focus on implementation capable of delivering measurable economic benefits. The minister said the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy had provided a strategic framework for harnessing Nigeria’s oceans, inland waterways, fisheries and coastal resources, but stressed that its success depended on coordinated action across all levels of government.

“Many of the country’s blue economy assets are located within states and communities, making sub-national governments indispensable partners in driving investment, creating jobs, improving food security and promoting environmental sustainability,” Oyetola said.

Oyetola said reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda had strengthened stakeholder engagement, attracted investment, improved maritime safety and enhanced the competitiveness of Nigeria’s ports.

He added that ongoing port modernisation and plans to develop new deep seaports in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos and Ondo states would further strengthen Nigeria’s position as West Africa’s preferred maritime hub.

The minister also noted that improved port operations had contributed to Nigeria recording a national trade surplus consistently since 2024.

On inland waterway safety, Oyetola said the ministry had intensified collaboration with relevant agencies and state governments, distributed life jackets nationwide, and urged states to replace unsafe wooden passenger boats with modern fibre boats.

He further called on coastal states to “align their development plans with the national policy while encouraging private investment in fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport, tourism, shipbuilding, renewable energy, and marine biotechnology.”

In his keynote address, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri, commended President Tinubu for establishing the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, describing it as a strategic step towards diversifying Nigeria’s economy.

He said Bayelsa followed suit by creating its own Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in June 2024 to drive the blue economy component of the state’s A-S-S-U-R-E-D Prosperity Agenda.

Diri said the state ministry had commenced major fish production at the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village in Yenegwe, where an operational hatchery was breeding high-quality catfish fingerlings and juveniles to boost food security and create jobs.

He added that the state had expanded its marine transport fleet and was aggressively pursuing the development of the proposed Agge Deep Seaport as the next maritime gateway for the Niger Delta.

The governor also proposed five key pathways for coastal states to maximise opportunities in the blue economy, including “establishing dedicated ministries of marine and blue economy, enacting enabling legislation, properly mapping and securing their maritime domains, investing in credible data collection and analysis, and developing skills, markets, innovation hubs, and logistics infrastructure.”