FG sets up committee to cut Nigeria’s fish imports

The Federal Government has inaugurated a technical committee to tackle Nigeria’s fish production deficit, reduce the country’s dependence on imports and strengthen the aquaculture value chain.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, inaugurated the 17-member Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria at an event on Thursday in Abuja, charging members to translate recommendations from a previous strategic roundtable into concrete and measurable actions.

The minister said the committee was established to move beyond policy recommendations and develop a coordinated implementation roadmap capable of addressing the challenges limiting domestic fish production.

“Fish is an important source of animal protein for millions of Nigerians. The fisheries and aquaculture sector sustains livelihoods across production, processing, marketing, transportation and related services. However, domestic production remains substantially below national demand, with consequences for food security, household incomes and foreign-exchange resources,” he said.

Oyetola identified high production costs, particularly the cost of feed; inadequate access to quality fish seed and broodstock; weak fish-health and biosecurity systems; post-harvest losses; and insufficient cold-chain and storage infrastructure as major challenges confronting the sector.

He also listed limited access to affordable finance, gaps in research and innovation, weak data systems, inadequate standards, traceability and market development as constraints requiring urgent attention.

According to the minister, “The transfer of fisheries and aquaculture functions to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has provided a stronger institutional platform for addressing these challenges as part of Nigeria’s broader blue-economy development.”

He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to increasing sustainable domestic fish production, strengthening the fisheries value chain and progressively reducing the country’s dependence on fish imports.

The minister recalled that the ministry, in collaboration with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, held a strategic roundtable on October 29, 2025, on accelerating fish production in Nigeria.

He said the roundtable produced recommendations aimed at addressing production and value-chain constraints, adding that the newly inaugurated committee was expected to assess the proposals and turn validated recommendations into a prioritised implementation roadmap.

“Your assignment is not to develop another policy or establish a parallel programme,” Oyetola told the committee.

He said the roundtable report must be assessed against the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, relevant laws, existing government programmes and the statutory mandates of relevant institutions.

Oyetola charged the committee to scrutinise each recommendation and determine whether it should be adopted, refined, integrated into existing frameworks, subjected to further study or set aside as unviable.

The committee is also expected to map existing initiatives across the public, private and development sectors to strengthen proven strategies and avoid duplication in the deployment of scarce resources.

“Your final output should include a clear implementation roadmap and matrix setting out the priority interventions, responsible institutions, timelines, indicative costs, funding options, performance indicators and required approvals. It should also identify credible opportunities for private-sector investment, public-private partnerships, development finance and other sustainable funding arrangements,” he said.

The minister urged members, drawn from government, academia, professional bodies, research institutions and industry, to approach the assignment with urgency, objectivity and a strong focus on results.

He said their recommendations must be realistic, evidence-based and financially responsible, while delivering tangible gains in fish production, job creation and food security.

Oyetola assured the committee of the ministry’s institutional support and expressed confidence that its work would provide a practical pathway for accelerating growth in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry and Chairman of the committee, Fatima Mahmood, said the committee would approach its mandate with a strong sense of responsibility.

She said it would thoroughly review the recommendations of the roundtable and translate them into practical interventions capable of delivering measurable results.

Mahmood added that the committee would work with relevant government institutions, researchers, industry stakeholders and development partners to identify priority actions, address existing gaps and develop a realistic implementation roadmap.

A member of the committee, Professor of Fisheries at Lagos State University, Akintola Latunji, said the committee would work with relevant stakeholders to deliver its mandate and catalyse fish production across the country.

Members of the committee include Mahmood; Director, Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Abuja, Omoragbon Wellington; Director, Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Lagos Office, Garba Usman; Director-General, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Prof Ayo Omotayo; Executive Director, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Prof Sule Abiodun; Latunji; and Prof Sadiku Suleiman Omeiza of the Federal University of Technology, Minna.

Others are Bayelsa State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Faith Izibenua Zibs-Godwin; Technical Assistant to the Minister, Dr Charles Okaga; President, Fisheries Society of Nigeria, Dr Ebinimi Ansa; President, Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria, Onoja Sunday; President, Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Mashi Gabriel Sani; President, Tilapia Development Association of Nigeria, Remi Ahmed; and Country Representative, WorldFish Nigeria, Dr Charles Iyangbe.

The committee is expected to submit its report within eight weeks.

The Federal Government had in October 2025 identified a gap of more than 2.2 million metric tonnes between Nigeria’s annual fish production and its estimated requirement of 3.6 million metric tonnes.

The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies agreed to develop a National Fish Production Acceleration Roadmap to guide investments and reforms in the fisheries and aquaculture subsector.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, had said domestic production met only about 38.9 per cent of the country’s annual fish requirement, leaving Nigeria heavily dependent on imports.

The government had subsequently highlighted measures including the development of a Fisheries Bill and National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, automation of fisheries operations and the establishment of a Blue Data Bank, alongside initiatives aimed at supporting youth and women in aquaculture.