The Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Tuesday received in audience the Managing Director of the South South Development Commission (SSDC), Ms. Usoro Akpabio, in Abuja, where both parties reaffirmed commitment to strengthening collaboration towards sustainable maritime growth and regional development in the South-South.
Ms. Akpabio commended the Minister for his visionary leadership and ongoing reforms in the maritime sector, noting that his initiatives were “repositioning the marine and blue economy as a new driver of national GDP growth.”
“We see the reforms in port operations, logistics, and maritime governance that are enhancing trade facilitation, transparency, and investor confidence,” she said.
“Our strategic role as a statutory regional development body is to coordinate and accelerate sustainable growth across the South-South. This mandate aligns perfectly with your Ministry’s vision of harnessing Nigeria’s maritime assets for inclusive growth.”
Ms. Akpabio described the South-South as “Nigeria’s natural maritime corridor”, rich in fisheries, oil and gas infrastructure, inland waterways, and coastal tourism potential. She expressed SSDC’s readiness to serve as the Ministry’s regional implementation partner for blue economy projects and policies.
She also advocated for the completion of key infrastructure such as the Ibom, Bonny, Bakassi, and Agge Deep Seaports, alongside the establishment of more dry ports and inland container depots across strategic cities in the region to ease port congestion and promote trade facilitation.
On capacity building, the SSDC boss emphasized youth empowerment through technical and vocational training in maritime logistics, shipbuilding, aquaculture, and port management.
“A strong blue economy in the South-South will create thousands of jobs, enhance non-oil exports, and stimulate local enterprise growth,” she stated.
Ms. Akpabio further proposed the creation of a Joint Technical Working Group between the Ministry and SSDC to identify and implement regional blue economy projects “away from boardroom promises.” She also requested courtesy visits to sister agencies under the Ministry, including NPA, NIMASA, and the Department of Fisheries, to deepen collaboration.
In his response, the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, welcomed the SSDC delegation and commended their proactive approach to partnership.
“Your visit underscores the readiness of the South-South region to take ownership of its maritime potential,” Oyetola stated. “We have the Maritime Academy, Oron, and the All States Maritime Academy, Otokutu, Warri; both strong indicators that maritime excellence thrives in the South-South. This region remains strategic to the growth of Nigeria’s blue economy.”
The Minister, however, cautioned that the Commission’s operations must be clearly defined to avoid duplication or unnecessary devolution of federal powers.
“The SSDC must maintain a regional focus consistent with its statutory mandate. Once that is safeguarded, collaboration with the Ministry will be seamless and impactful,” he noted.
Oyetola also commended the SSDC management and board, describing them as “the first regional commission to pay a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.” He assured that the Ministry was open to sustained engagement in areas of mutual interest, including port development, fisheries, maritime training, and blue economy investment facilitation.
0 Comments