Blue Economy: Oyetola Canvasses Collaboration, Innovation to Achieve Sustainability

Esther Oluku 

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has harped on the need for collaboration and innovation to guide efficient implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy and drive long-term sustainability for the industry.  

He noted that this is critical to improving Nigeria’s marine governance, building public trust, ensuring regional competitiveness, and attaining standardisation at par with global best practices.

This was the focus of his address at the second quarterly Citizens and Stakeholders Engagement themed “Strengthening Collaboration for Effective Implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy,” which held in Lagos.

Oyetola explained that as the ministry moves towards implementing it’s ten-year National Policy, there exist a need for cross fertilization of ideas with industry practitioners, the academia and policy makers to ensure efficient implementation and sustainability.

He said: “The approval of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy by the Federal Executive Council marks a critical turning point providing a comprehensive framework to unlock value across our marine ecosystems. The transition to a sustainable blue economy model is not automatic; it requires innovation, investment, policy coherence, and human capital development. 

“The effective rollout of this Policy must be cross-sectoral, collaborative, and data-driven. Global trends have shown that effective citizen engagement and shared ownership of public policies yield better development outcomes. 

“In a world facing complex, interconnected challenges, the voices of citizens and stakeholders are essential for driving innovation, ensuring transparency, and enhancing the legitimacy of government action.”

Oyetola stated that the policy which cuts across port infrastructure, maritime security, aquaculture, ocean governance, marine biotechnology, renewable energy, coastal tourism, and climate resilience, places strong emphasis on capacity building, research, and the promotion of local content across the entire marine and blue economy value chain.

He called for strategic contributions to further enhance industry efficiency, close existing gaps and improve coordination at all levels across the industry