The minister of marine and blue economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, partnered with the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to strengthen collaboration for sustainable maritime growth and regional development.
During the meeting on Tuesday, November 4, in Abuja, SSDC managing director Usoro Akpabio praised Oyetola’s leadership and the ongoing maritime sector reforms, highlighting efforts to position the marine and blue economy as a major driver of national GDP growth.
She said, “We see the reforms in port operations, logistics, and maritime governance that are enhancing trade facilitation, transparency, and investor confidence.
“Our strategic role as a statutory regional development body is to coordinate and accelerate sustainable growth across the south-south.
“This mandate aligns perfectly with your ministry’s vision of harnessing Nigeria’s maritime assets for inclusive growth.”
Describing the region as Nigeria’s natural maritime corridor, she pointed to its rich fisheries, oil and gas infrastructure, inland waterways, and coastal tourism potential.
Akpabio pledged SSDC’s support as a regional implementation partner for blue economy projects and advocated for the completion of key infrastructure, including the Ibom, Bonny, Bakassi, and Agge deep seaports, as well as the establishment of additional dry ports and inland container depots to reduce port congestion and improve trade facilitation.
On workforce development, she highlighted youth empowerment through technical and vocational training in maritime logistics, shipbuilding, aquaculture, and port management, noting that a strong blue economy would create thousands of jobs, boost non-oil exports, and stimulate local enterprise growth.
She also proposed forming a joint technical working group between SSDC and the ministry to ensure regional blue economy projects are effectively implemented and requested courtesy visits to agencies under the ministry, including Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Department of Fisheries, to strengthen collaboration.
In response, Oyetola welcomed the SSDC delegation and praised their proactive approach.
He highlighted existing maritime institutions, including the Maritime Academy in Oron and the All States Maritime Academy in Otokutu, Warri, as evidence of the south south’s strategic role in Nigeria’s blue economy.
He stressed that SSDC’s operations must remain clearly defined to avoid duplication or unnecessary transfer of federal powers, adding that maintaining a regional focus would enable seamless and impactful collaboration.
He also commended SSDC as the first regional commission to visit the ministry and assured continued engagement on port development, fisheries, maritime training, and blue economy investment initiatives.
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