FG Targets 2.2 Million-Tonne Fish Deficit with New Aquaculture Drive

The Federal Government is stepping up efforts to close Nigeria’s 2.2 million-tonne fish supply gap and reposition aquaculture as a major contributor to food security and economic growth. At a two-day roundtable in Lagos, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy announced a partnership with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) to design a national roadmap aimed at accelerating fish production across the country.

Source: guardian.ng

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, described the collaboration as a strategic step under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises food sufficiency, job creation, and economic diversification. He lamented that local production currently meets less than 40 per cent of the nation’s annual fish demand of 3.6 million metric tonnes, warning that Nigeria’s growing reliance on imports is draining foreign reserves and threatening sustainability.

Nigeria, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, remains one of Africa’s largest fish consumers, with demand projected to exceed four million metric tonnes by 2030. Oyetola said the Lagos meeting is expected to produce a “National Fish Production Acceleration Roadmap” to guide investment, expand aquaculture infrastructure, and reform the fisheries subsector.

He revealed that new legal and policy frameworks — including the Fisheries Bill and National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy — are being finalised to improve governance and attract private sector participation. The Ministry, he added, is also adopting digital tools to modernise the sector through the creation of a Blue Data Bank and the automation of fisheries operations under the World Bank-supported PROBLUE Programme.

The Minister further noted that the government is empowering youths and women through the Green Money Project, which provides training and input support for small-scale aquaculture ventures.

Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo, reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to driving evidence-based policymaking, assuring that the outcomes of the Lagos roundtable would be translated into concrete strategies for achieving fish self-sufficiency.