Business
Stakeholders Demand Ban On Fish Imports
Stakeholders in the agriculture sector has called for a total ban on importation of fish and its products into Nigeria so as to boost the country’s fishing industry.
The stakeholders made the call in Ibadan at an awareness campaign on a project tagged “Proposed Fish Industrial Estate for Youth in Agriculture Empowerment Programme’’.
The Tide source reports that the project was instituted by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the Oyo State chapter of Amalgamated Association of Fish Farmers of Nigeria.
Other partners in the project include Eurobase Consult Limited, FEG-AGRO Farms Nigeria Ltd. and Oyo State chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), among others.
The conveners underscored the need for the improvement of the packaging of the local fish products to meet international standards.
They also emphasised the need for the production of quality fish feeds, using readily available resources so as to boost local fish production and reduce fish feed prices.
Besides, they said that the certification of fish farms and similar enterprises by the Federal Department of Fishery, NAFDAC and SON should be encouraged.
The Chairman of FEG-AGRO Farms, Dr Gabriel Ogunsanya, said that the Fish Industrial Estate System (FIES) would be developed in Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states.
He said that each state would have one fish industrial estate system which was designed to culture, produce and process 120 tonnes of fish daily, thereby generating 43,800 tonnes of fish annually.
Ogunsanya said that the project would reduce the high incidence of rural poverty and unemployment in the country.
He said that it would boost the people’s access to quality protein, trace elements, minerals found in fish to reduce high level of preventable illnesses and deaths.
”The project targets youths in agriculture and each participant is expected to perform four production cycles, with each production cycle spanning six months.
”Each participant has a contractual period of 24 months in production and is expected to produce between 20,000 and 24,000 fishes per production cycle.
”A consultant and extension officers will be stationed at each industrial estate for technical support and adequate monitoring of the project,” he said.
Ogunsanya said that the expected minimum profit per production cycle for each participant was N1,200,000 considering all factors.
Earlier, the Oyo State Chairman of AFAN, Mr Olumide Ayinla, said that agriculture was the major source of livelihood for most people in the state.
He said that apart from its primary role of providing food, employment and raw materials, agriculture remained a veritable source of internally generated revenue for the state.
He pledged that farmers, youths and royal fathers in the state were ready to implement the project.
Ayinla, therefore, commended the Federal Government launching the project and making efforts to revamp the country’s agriculture sector.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.