The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy on Wednesday officially launched its Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), marking a major milestone in the Ministry’s digital transformation and institutional reform agenda.

According to a statement, the launch was jointly performed by the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, during the Ministry’s Fourth Quarter 2025 Stakeholders and Citizens Engagement l, Abuja.

The engagement, which attracted a wide spectrum of stakeholders from across the marine and blue economy value chain, was held under the theme: “Positioning Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy for Investment, Innovation and Expansion: The Pathway.”

Delivering his keynote address, Dr. Oyetola described the engagement as a defining moment in Nigeria’s drive to reposition the marine and blue economy as a critical pillar of economic diversification, growth, and global competitiveness.

He noted that the forum was deliberately designed to deepen transparency, accountability, partnership, and shared ownership of reforms in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

Speaking on the launch of the ECMS, the Minister described the platform as a strategic investment that goes beyond internal administration to drive efficiency, transparency, accountability, and improved service delivery.“A digitally enabled Ministry is a more responsive Ministry,” he said.

“Through the ECMS, we are streamlining workflows, strengthening records management, improving decision-making, and enhancing our capacity to support investors, operators, and partners with speed, clarity, and integrity.”Highlighting the strategic importance of the sector.

Dr. Oyetola said Nigeria’s extensive coastline, vast inland waterways, and strategic geographic location provide unique opportunities to harness maritime trade, fisheries, aquaculture, logistics, tourism, and allied services for inclusive growth, job creation, and regional integration.

He outlined key achievements recorded by the Ministry over the past year, particularly in fisheries and aquaculture, where local fish production increased from 1.1 million metric tonnes to 1.4 million metric tonnes. While acknowledging that this still falls short of the country’s annual consumption of 3.6 million tonnes, the Minister said the progress reflected targeted interventions, improved coordination, technology deployment, and better sectoral planning.

Dr. Oyetola also disclosed that the Ministry had commenced engagements with financial institutions to provide single-digit interest loans for fishermen nationwide, aimed at expanding access to affordable finance, boosting productivity, empowering operators, and curbing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

On the international stage, the Minister noted that Nigeria’s election into Category C of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and its emergence as Chairman of the Conference of Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea underscore renewed global confidence in Nigeria’s maritime leadership, governance reforms, and policy direction.

He added that the Ministry’s reform efforts had earned national recognition, citing a 96 per cent performance rating by the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), positive assessments from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), and recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics ranking water transportation among the top five fastest-growing sectors of the Nigerian economy.

In her remarks, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, commended the Ministry for its far-reaching reforms and notable achievements, particularly the successful go-live of the ECMS.

She described the digital platform as a significant step toward paperless governance, improved records management, and faster, more efficient service delivery within the public service.

According to her, the ECMS will enhance institutional memory, reduce bureaucracy, improve accountability, and align the Ministry with the Federal Civil Service’s broader digital transformation agenda.

The event was attended by a broad array of industry stakeholders, including regulators, private sector operators, development partners, investors, and representatives from diverse segments of the marine and blue economy, all of whom reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the sector’s growth and sustainability.