Deborah Ocheni The Federal Government and other stakeholders gathered to review the draft strategy document for the Marine and Blue Economy sector while stressing harnessing the ocean’s potential for sustainable development.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola submitted that the blue economy presents significant challenges and promising opportunities for sustainable development at the National Consultative Workshop on the formulation of the National Blue Economy strategy for Nigeria, organized by the African Union for Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) with funding from the Kingdom of Norway opened in Abuja,
The minister represented by his Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oloruntola said “This workshop came at the time we are harmonizing governance structures, developing strategies and plans of action for promoting blue economy development initiatives and this strategy document is expected to provide a comprehensive framework for harnessing the potential of our oceans while safeguarding its health for the present and future generations.
“As we all are aware, the blue economy presents significant challenges and promising opportunities for sustainable development. One of the greatest challenges lies in balancing economic growth with environmental conservation. Over-exploitation of marine resources, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change threaten the health and resilience of ocean ecosystems”.
He noted that addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts to promote responsible resource management, mitigate environmental impacts, and build resilience to climate change.
“However, within these challenges lie significant opportunities. The blue economy has the potential to drive inclusive growth, create employment opportunities, and alleviate poverty, particularly in coastal and island communities”.
Oyetola noted that by harnessing the vast potential of our oceans sustainably, we can unlock new sources of economic value, such as fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, renewable energy, and biotechnology. Furthermore, investments in research, innovation, and technology can unlock new solutions for ocean conservation, resource efficiency and climate resilience, paving the way for a more prosperous and sustainable future.
“In this workshop, we shall be assessing the draft strategy document through engaged insightful discussions, exchanging knowledge and experiences that will forge partnerships to chart a course towards a more sustainable and prosperous future.
“This will enhance exploration of innovative solutions that will birth identified best practices for actionable strategies tailored to our unique contexts and the actualization of a more comprehensive strategy document that will also address the identified challenges”.
He urged participants to actively participate, share expertise, and contribute their insights towards the formulation of a robust Blue Economy Strategy document.
Babatunde Sule, the Director of the Maritime Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, highlighted the issue of many accidents in Nigerian marine environments where there were loss of lives. To him, priority should be placed on preventing these calamities and disasters.
