Maritime
MARINE/BLUE ECONOMY MINISTRY LAUNCHES DIGITAL PLATFORM TO DRIVE TRANSPARENCY, EFFICIENCY
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.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) says poor regulation of shipping lines could undermine the credibility of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reforms.
Head of Research SEREC, Dr Eugene Nweke made this Known to Newsmen in Abuja
Nweke said that customs efficiency was linked to the performance of the Nigeria’s maritime and trade ecosystem.
Hr described the NCS as central to the success of the National Single Window (NSW) risk-based clearance and trade facilitation reforms.
“However, Customs efficiency gains are systematically eroded when upstream shipping practices introduce artificial delays, speculative charges, remote cargo release approvals and opaque cost structures”.
“In effect, weak regulation of shipping line conduct externalises inefficiencies into the Customs clearance process, inflates transaction costs, distorts compliance behavior and undermines the credibility of customs-led trade reforms,”
Nweke said that SEREC had submitted a white paper to the government advocating that shipping line governance, port economic regulation, and customs trade administration should be treated as inseparable policy domains.
SEREC said Nigeria’s Port challenges were not only infrastructure-driven but governance-related, warning that weak regulation, missing oversight reports and unchecked discretion in systems like the NSW could undermine reform efforts.
SEREC recommended reforms for Nigeria’s shipping sector, including public release of committee findings, statutory refund timelines with penalties, banning speculative demurrage billing, mandatory local cargo release and alignment of shipping practices with the NSW among others.
Nweke said that the aim of the white paper was to draw attention to sharp practices and regulatory weaknesses that had evolved beyond operational inconveniences into macroeconomic and governance risks.
“For NCS trade reforms to deliver their full impact in 2026 and beyond, shipping practices must align with the same principles guiding Customs modernisation: transparency, predictability, automation, accountability and local control.
Nweke said that by 2026, stakeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry hope to transition from opaque and arbitrary port operations to a transparent, rules-based system managed through digital technology.
He stressed that the shift should align with ongoing reforms and international best practices, facilitated by the government through providing enabling environment and enforcing regulations
“These include predictable costs, enforceable service standards, transparent billing, time-bound cargo release, and institutional accountability particularly as Nigeria advances the National Single Window (NSW), port economic regulation, and revenue optimisation objectives.
“The expectation is not the creation of new laws, but disciplined enforcement of existing instruments, public disclosure of regulatory outcomes, and insulation of regulators from political and commercial capture,” Nweke said.
By: CHINEDU WOSU
Nigeria President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate take-off of the Olokola Deep Seaport project in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area
The approval brings to an end years of delay surrounding the multi billion dollar Port.
Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun made this Known to Journalists during an interactive session
Governor Abiodun said the Seaport would help decongest Lagos ports, while oil drilling at Tongeji Island would boost economic activities and inclusion in coastal communities.
“The Olokola deep seaport project, which has been on the drawing board for several years, has been revived following a series of meetings with the President”.
“I want to sincerely thank Mr President because this is solely his initiative. In the last two weeks alone, we have held several meetings on Olokola, and he has clearly expressed his desire to see the port become a reality,” he said.
The Governor said the seaport would be known as the Blue Marine Economic Zone, would leverage the coastal road as an alternative logistics corridor and further ease pressure on the Lagos ports.
He commended the Nigerian Navy for establishing a Forward Operations Base at Tongeji Island, saying the move would enhance security and prevent infiltration from neighbouring Benin Republic.
The Governor said that the state government was working to provide basic amenities for residents of the island to improve living conditions and support emerging economic activities.
Abiodun thanked the Navy for its contribution to security in the state, attributing the relative peace in Ogun to collaboration among security agencies.
By: CHINEDU WOSU
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno says his administration is commitment to deliver the Ibom Deep Seaport project as a critical infrastructure to boost the state’s economy and transform the region.
The Governor said this during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and the Interaf Group Consortium at the Government House, Uyo.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Enobong Uwah, Eno emphasized on the project’s significance.
“The project is a necessity for the people of the state as my administration is fully committed to putting the necessary requirements in place to get it on course,” Eno said.
The Governor urged the consortium to work closely with the Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation, AKICORP, and the government’s representatives to ensure its timely execution.
He commended the organisation for its interest in ensuring the actualisation of the project
The Governor thanked the former Petroleum Minister, Mr Don Etiebet, for being a part of the team, and for working toward the actualisation of the facility.
Earlier,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Interaf Group Consortium, Mr Ezinwa Ibekwe commended the government for the confidence reposed in the company.
Ibekwe assured the government of the consortium’s readiness to deliver on its mandate, promising a collaborative approach to ensure the project’s success.
By: CHINEDU WOSU