Maritime stakeholders have lamented Nigeria’s inability to exploit its fishing industry to drive economic growth.
The stakeholders spoke on Wednesday at the first annual conference and third annual general meeting of the Alumni Association of the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology in Lagos.
The event was themed “Unlocking the Potential of the Blue Economy: FCFMT Alumni Contributions to Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Technology Development in Nigeria’.
The stakeholders said that a lack of attention to the fishery sector was costing the country the economic benefits of the industry.
The President of the Alumni Association of the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, William Ogunshakin, emphasised the critical role of the blue economy in Nigeria’s economic growth, food security, and environmental sustainability.
According to the association president, there is a need for collaboration to promote sustainable fisheries and marine technology development and to ensure that the benefits of the blue economy are equitably shared among all stakeholders.
“We also acknowledge the significant contributions that our alma mater, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, has made to the development of the maritime sector in Nigeria,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Deep Maritime Services Limited, Macfoy Rollen, stated that if well supported by the government, the fishery industry would bring about another economic boom for the country, “especially to support youth employment while minimising importation of such into the country, thereby growing the gross domestic product”.
She noted that fisheries and aquaculture are vital tools for the transition to green, stressing that people involved in them usually do it either for personal consumption, merchandise, or even up to the export level.
According to Rollen, sustainability in the profession creates jobs and contributes to the GDP of the country, “the last 10 years, fishery export has increased by 15 per cent and now ranks fourth among all export commodities globally”.
Rollen said that the government’s interest and encouragement in fisheries could help harmonise and provide an enabling environment for the people in the profession.
She also urged the government to properly fund the industry through grants and loans and ensure adequate regulation.
“Fisheries also facilitate trade, both domestic and international, contributing to foreign exchange earnings for the country,” Rollen stated.
She added that the sector supports other industries, such as fish processing and marketing, creating additional economic opportunities.
She emphasized the importance of technological development as a vehicle to achieve sustainable development in the blue economy.
“It helps to protect the marine environment and the use of ocean resources for improved social and economic life as well as protecting and enhancing the most vital element of the planet’s natural resources,” she noted.
Rollen added that embracing advanced technology solutions in the maritime industry would help automate and ultimately eliminate a lot of cumbersome paper-based work in the different parastatals under the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry, “especially for those who use the ports, jetties as well as different shipping & oil & gas companies who need vessel and seafarer’s registrations, data collection, document issuance, and total administrative process.”
