August 19, 2025

Nigeria aims to end fish imports  

Nigeria is eyeing to end its dependence on fish importation by aggressively boosting local fish production.

Nigeria Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola made this observation in a statement on August 13, signed by his media aide, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, during a high-level consultative meeting with fisheries cooperative groups in Abuja.

The former Governor of Osun State announced that the Ministry is intensifying efforts to support women and youth in the fishing sector, adding that start-up grants and other empowerment initiatives are already in the pipeline.

He stressed that the moves align with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises youth engagement and economic diversification.

"Increasing youth participation in aquaculture is not only vital for food production but also a strategic solution to reducing unemployment," the Minister said. "We are committed to ensuring that young people and women are not left behind in this transformation," he added.

During the session, participants raised a wide range of pressing challenges facing the sector, including "overfishing, environmental degradation, lack of access to affordable finance, post-harvest losses, inadequate cold storage infrastructure, poor transportation and market linkages, low youth involvement, multiple taxation by local government authorities, and the rising cost of imported fish feed."

-      SyndiGate Media