Federal Government Targets Fish Import Reduction with New Committee

In a strategic move to address Nigeria's significant fish production shortfall and lessen its reliance on imported fish, the Federal Government has officially launched a new technical committee. Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, presided over the inauguration of the 17-member Technical Committee on Accelerating Fish Production in Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja. He tasked the committee members with transforming previous strategic roundtable recommendations into actionable and quantifiable steps.

Minister Oyetola clarified that the committee's mandate extends beyond mere policy suggestions, aiming instead to forge a unified implementation strategy to overcome obstacles hindering local fish output. He emphasized the critical role of fish as a primary source of animal protein for countless Nigerians and highlighted how the fisheries and aquaculture industry supports numerous livelihoods through various stages, including production, processing, and marketing. Despite this, he noted, local production falls considerably short of the nation's requirements, impacting food security, household earnings, and foreign exchange reserves.

Oyetola detailed several significant hurdles facing the sector, including elevated production expenses, particularly for fish feed. Other challenges include insufficient access to high-quality fish seed and broodstock, deficiencies in fish health and biosecurity protocols, substantial post-harvest losses, and inadequate cold-chain and storage facilities. Furthermore, he pointed to restricted availability of affordable funding, deficits in research and innovation, fragile data management systems, and shortcomings in standards, traceability, and market expansion as areas needing immediate intervention.

The Minister stated that the relocation of fisheries and aquaculture responsibilities to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has created a more robust institutional framework to tackle these issues, aligning with Nigeria's wider blue-economy agenda. He reiterated the ministry's dedication to boosting sustainable local fish output, fortifying the fisheries value chain, and steadily decreasing Nigeria’s reliance on imported fish.

Oyetola reminded attendees that a strategic roundtable, focused on accelerating fish production in Nigeria, was previously organized by the ministry in partnership with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies on October 29, 2025. He explained that this roundtable generated various recommendations designed to alleviate production and value-chain bottlenecks. The newly formed committee is now tasked with evaluating these proposals and transforming approved recommendations into a structured implementation roadmap.

“Your assignment is not to develop another policy or establish a parallel programme,” Oyetola explicitly instructed the committee. He stressed that the roundtable's findings must be rigorously evaluated against existing frameworks such as the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, applicable laws, ongoing government initiatives, and the official mandates of pertinent institutions.

The minister further directed the committee to meticulously examine each recommendation, deciding if it should be adopted, modified, incorporated into current systems, require additional investigation, or be dismissed as impractical. Additionally, the committee is expected to catalog existing efforts across government, private sector, and development organizations to reinforce successful strategies and prevent redundant resource allocation.

He specified, “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.”

Oyetola implored the committee members, who represent various sectors including government, academia, professional associations, research bodies, and industry, to undertake their duties with promptness, impartiality, and a keen eye on achieving outcomes. He emphasized that their proposals must be practical, supported by evidence, and fiscally sound, ultimately yielding measurable improvements in fish production, employment generation, and national food security.

Assuring the committee of the ministry's full institutional backing, Oyetola voiced his conviction that their efforts would pave a pragmatic way forward for rapid expansion within the fisheries and aquaculture industry. Earlier in the proceedings, Fatima Mahmood, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry and chairperson of the committee, stated that the committee is committed to approaching its task with a profound sense of accountability. She affirmed that they would meticulously examine the roundtable's recommendations and transform them into actionable strategies designed to produce verifiable results. Mahmood further indicated that the committee plans to collaborate with pertinent government bodies, researchers, industry participants, and development partners to ensure a comprehensive approach.