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On Safeguarding Maritime Transportation for Actualizing Blue Economy
By Kabir Abdulsalam
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, launched the Expanded Committee on Sustainable Blue Economy on January 17, 2022, in Abuja. The committee’s task is to recommend how to strengthen the governance framework and infrastructure of the maritime sector in Nigeria.
Among the committees were representatives of 10 states: Rivers, Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Ogun, Ondo, Cross River, Bayelsa, and Edo states. Also, there were people from maritime agencies like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), and the Chief of Naval Staff, among others.
Since the 21st century, the concept of the blue economy has become increasingly popular. particularly on management connotation, data access, monitoring, product development, and marine security, while countries are making decisions according to their needs.
The blue economy is an emerging concept that encourages sustainable exploitation, innovation, and stewardship of our ocean and its life-giving ‘blue’ resources.
It is an initiative fast developing around the world. It was developed by SIDS (Small Island Developing Governments) and is now applicable to all coastal states and nations with an interest in waters outside of their territorial waters.
A Commonwealth report estimated the worldwide ocean economy as valued at around $1.5 trillion per year, making it the seventh-largest economy in the world. It is set to double by 2030 to $3 trillion. Similarly, the total value of ocean assets (natural capital) has been estimated at $24 trillion.
Nigeria’s blue economy remains one of the country’s anchor sub-sectors, with maritime trade contributing 1.6 percent and fisheries contributing 3-5 percent to the GDP.
As the country looks further to tap into this, experts revealed that the blue economy will incorporate the emerging sectors of marine biotechnology, deep sea mining, off-shore renewable energy, and eco-tourism, among others. These ocean resources are embedded in the Gulf of Guinea, a major natural endowment.
It contained a sizable portion of the continent’s proven reserves and a considerable source of food stock. It features some of the richest and most prolific fisheries on the continent, a crucial source of protein used both domestically and globally. Nigeria’s blue economy has the potential to spur employment creation and economic expansion, but it also faces tough obstacles, including piracy, illegal fishing, and oil spills.
In Nigerian seas, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a significant issue that threatens the long-term sustainability of the fishing sector. The Nigerian Navy patrols the oceans, examines fishing boats, and enforces adherence to local, regional, and international rules to prevent IUU fishing. Moreover, pirates seize ships and their crews in exchange for ransom, which makes the seas unfriendly to trade and shipping.
The Nigerian Navy will be responsible for addressing these issues to advance the blue economy’s sustainable growth and protect the nation’s marine resources, notably fisheries, as one of its key mandates.
The Nigerian Navy contributes to the protection of local fishermen’s rights and the sustainability of the fishing sector. They patrol the seas and escort ships through dangerous regions to prevent piracy.
In order to guarantee the safety of ships and personnel in Nigerian waters, they have also boosted their cooperation with other regional navies. The Navy’s activities have contributed to a decline in piracy, as well as the safety of seafarers and open commerce.
Commendably, it was noted that Nigeria was also struck off the list of piracy-prone countries by the International Maritime Bureau in March 2022. Akin, it is on record that Nigeria has not recorded a pirate attack in her maritime environment since 2021.
Other feats were the readiness of the Navy to provide a safer mechanism for the blue economy project. At the 2021 Chief of Naval Staff Annual Conference in Kano, a communiqué was issued for NN to exercise all possible initiatives in maintaining its leading role in facilitating and promoting the blue economy to be duly recognized by maritime stakeholders.
While addressing the audience at World Hydrography Day (WHD) 2021 on the import of hydrography to the actualization of the blue economy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, stressed the importance of hydrography to the actualization of the nation’s Blue Economy Project.
The CNS said hydrography would equip the NN with faster survey and chart coverage of Nigeria‘s waters, facilitating more robust maritime activity for the security and economic growth of the nation.
He said: “Through hydrography, Nigeria’s inland waters, which connect the Atlantic Ocean via over 25 river entrances, can be opened for the transportation of goods and services for export, enhancing Nigeria’s economy. Additionally, effective hydrographic practice will ensure adequate chart coverage of about 84,000 square nautical miles of Nigeria’s territorial waters.
Conversely, in another development, within the scope of the Nigerian Navy Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy, the NN adopted the Trinity-of-Action Concept of Maritime Security to effectively combat maritime threats. The concept comprises surveillance capabilities, response initiatives, and law enforcement.
Surveillance, according to the report, entails the deployment of maritime domain awareness infrastructure, the regional maritime awareness capability, and Falcon Eye. The systems, Gambo emphasized, “serve as veritable force multipliers, ensuring that patrols by Nigerian Navy ships are intelligence-driven, cost-effective, and result-oriented.”
As a result of these, Nigeria’s Blue Economy Project will be able to implement
up-to-date marine geospatial information of Nigerian waters to diverse maritime operators for enhanced economic growth of the country.
Kabir Abdulsalam writes from Abuja and can be reached via kbabdulsalam03@gmail.com
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