FG committed to advancing Maritime and Blue Economy — Oyetola

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, has reaffirmed the government’s committedness to advancing Nigeria’s maritime, logistics, and transport sectors done innovation and reforms.

Oyetola made this known portion declaring unfastened the 2025 Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) with the taxable ‘Enhancing Logistics and Transport for Sustainable Blue Economy successful Nigeria’ successful Lagos.

Represented by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, Oyetola said the authorities was determined to alteration maritime and logistics into engines of inclusive economical growth.

He described the CILT Nigeria Conference arsenic a “flagship level for argumentation dialogue, nonrecreational exchange, and forward-thinking engagement” successful logistics and transport.

Oyetola said the taxable was timely, reflecting planetary designation of the Blue Economy arsenic a transformative frontier for improvement and occupation creation.

He explained that the Blue Economy referred to the sustainable usage of water and inland h2o resources for prosperity, improved livelihoods, and employment opportunities.

According to him, Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and immense waterways clasp immense imaginable for nationalist prosperity if efficiently harnessed.

He noted that Nigeria’s maritime geography offered a strategical vantage successful Africa, but this imaginable could lone beryllium realised done businesslike logistics and transport systems.

“The quality to determination goods, people, and services seamlessly by sea, land, and aerial is the lifeblood of commerce and concern growth,” Oyetola said.

He added that President Bola Tinubu’s medication recognised the Blue Economy arsenic the adjacent frontier for diversification beyond oil.

“The instauration of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy reflects a deliberate resoluteness to harness the sector’s imaginable for innovation and sustainability,” helium said.

Oyetola noted that since the ministry’s establishment, respective strategical initiatives had been launched to modernise ports, heighten maritime safety, and make inland waterways.

He said these initiatives aimed to fortify organization capableness and amended Nigeria’s competitiveness successful planetary maritime trade.

Among the reforms, Oyetola announced the support of a $1 cardinal larboard modernisation task successful Lagos to grow cargo capableness and align with planetary champion practices.

“Similar projects are being planned for ports extracurricular Lagos to guarantee balanced improvement crossed each maritime gateways,” helium said.

On maritime safety, Oyetola highlighted the occurrence of the Deep Blue Project, which has led to zero piracy incidents successful implicit 3 years.

He said the accomplishment had restored capitalist assurance and reduced the outgo of doing concern wrong Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The curate besides unveiled a 10-year National Blue Economy Strategy to unify maritime, fisheries, logistics, and coastal improvement policies.

He said the model would guarantee economical maturation aligns with biology stewardship and societal equity.

Commending CILT Nigeria, Oyetola praised its enactment successful promoting professionalism and ethical standards successful logistics and transport.

He urged members to follow smart, greenish transport technologies and clasp data-driven readying for ratio and sustainability.

“Our extremity is sustainable and inclusive maturation that empowers coastal communities, creates opportunities, and preserves the situation for aboriginal generations,” Oyetola said.

In her invited address, CILT Nigeria President, Mrs Mfon Ekong Usoro, welcomed delegates, expressing pridefulness successful the institute’s improvement into 1 of Africa’s astir vibrant nonrecreational bodies.

Usoro said the CILT Conference had go an influential level shaping argumentation absorption for logistics, transport, and the Blue Economy.

Tracing its history, she said CILT Nigeria, founded successful 1958, present operates successful 13 states and aligns afloat with CILT International standards.

She emphasised that the institute’s certif...