With an estimated N1 trillion spent annually on fish imports, which covers about 45 per cent of local demand, it is fair to say that Nigeria is still grappling with meeting up with its fish production and local demands.
With over 200 million people, the annual fish consumption of Africa’s largest population is put at 3.6 million tonnes but domestic production is just one-third of that – about 1.2 million tonnes, leaving over 60 per cent deficit of 2.4 million tonnes. That’s a huge number for a country that once had the largest GDP in Africa, but currently accounts for over 60 per cent of West Africa’s fish import bill.
Beyond the economics lies the impact on livelihood and the general population as fish is one of the cheapest sources of protein for Nigeria’s huge population. Many experts believe that the country has the potential to increase local fish production not only to meet domestic demands but also generate national revenue through exports.
“Nigeria must chart a new course towards self-sufficiency in fish production,” affirmed the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola during a consultative meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, July 16. with major fisheries and aquaculture associations in the country
According to the Minister, the era of dependence on fish imports must come to an end soonest, the more reason scaling up domestic fish production is not just a policy direction for the ministry, but a national goal., as this will improve national food security, livelihood of Nigerians and general economic development.
“The Federal Government has identified fisheries and aquaculture as priority areas for enhancing food security, promoting rural development, and generating employment… we are focused on scaling up domestic fish production, reducing dependency on imports, and positioning Nigeria to achieve self-sufficiency and export competitiveness,” Oyetola stated.
Indeed. Nigeria’s local aquatic food systems, which comprise fisheries, aquaculture and related supply chains, are increasingly recognized for their ability to provide sustainable, healthy diets and decent work, according to the World Fish Centre,
“Although Nigeria’s coastal capture fisheries are strained, aquaculture can be leveraged to fill in the gaps and provide jobs in the fisheries sector. From fish harvesting to processing and trading, these diverse income-generating activities have the potential to uplift rural communities,” it noted in a report.
“With sufficient resources and fully developed supply chains, aquaculture substantially increases smallholder income, especially in rural communities with limited economic opportunities,” the report added.
The Minister recognizes the critical role the fisheries cooperative groups play in the overall value chain of Nigeria’s fishing and aquaculture sector, describing them as platforms for production, aggregation, access to finance, and knowledge transfer and enterprise development.
According to reports, Nigeria is the largest aquaculture producer in sub-Saharan Africa, but its productivity potential has been stifled by challenges such as poor financing and weak infrastructure. Hopefully, these issues would be a thing of the past, as the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has now been officially transferred to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Furthermore, the minister’s recent engagement is just one of other strategic moves to not only reposition fisheries cooperatives as the engine for transforming the aquaculture sub-sector, but as credible partners in improving fish production, but also livelihood and national revenue.
In view of this, Oyetola emphasized that the Ministry is ready to provide policy, technical and extension services support that will enable the cooperatives to function effectively, increase productivity, and improve revenue.
With federal government support, these groups sure have the numbers to drive the engine of fisheries and aquaculture growth in the country,
The impact of this will create a ripple effect in the overall value chain across the country.
“A properly structured and efficiently governed cooperative is more likely to attract funding from financial institutions and benefit from government-linked interventions,” the Minister noted.
The meeting, which provided an opportunity to exchange perspectives on practical steps for improving operational capacity, access to inputs, and financial inclusion, was an indicator of good things to come, not just for fisheries cooperatives, but for an improved future of fish production in Nigeria.
But it takes a village to raise a child. While the Minister noted that the consultative meeting was the beginning of a sustained and transformative dialogue, he added that integrated planning and inter-ministerial cooperation were key pillars of its strategy. In other words, to achieve its goal of improving fish production, it would take into account other areas to ensure it charts a brighter future for the fisheries sector with swimming gains for the populace.
In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, the ministry will also prioritise youth engagement and economic diversification, Oyetola noted.
“Increasing youth participation in aquaculture is not only vital for food production but also a strategic solution to reducing unemployment, and we are committed to ensuring that young people and women are not left behind in this transformation,” he stated.
“We are also in talks with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to replicate the successful aquaculture model at the Oyan Dam across other regions,” the minister added.
Participating groups at the meeting included leaders and members of the Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CATFAN), Tilapia Aquaculture Developers of Nigeria (TADAN), Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria Ltd (FCFN), Practicing Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria (PFFAN) and Abuja Women in Agric Fisheries.
With the ongoing reforms and engagements with stakeholders, it is clear that the current government is determined to reduce the country’s dependence on fish imports by empowering its local industry to achieve its full potential and make the country a net exporter of fish in the nearest future.
