The Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is partnering with the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) to boost fish production and bridge Nigeria’s 2.2 million metric tonne deficit. Minister Adegboyega Oyetola stated this at a two-day round table on accelerating national fish production yesterday in Lagos.

Oyetola said the collaboration would close Nigeria’s supply gap through a coordinated policy roadmap and targeted investment strategies across the fisheries and aquaculture subsectors.

He noted that the partnership marked a major step in implementing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises food security, job creation, and economic diversification. The minister said: “Current output meets only about 38.9 per cent of the 3.6 million metric tonnes required annually.

The 2.2 million metric tonne deficit is unsustainable.” He said the roundtable would produce a National Fish Production Acceleration Roadmap to guide future investments and reforms in the sector.

The minister added that new legal frameworks, including the Fisheries Bill and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy, were being developed to improve sustainability and governance.