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The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Mobereola, has challenged investors, maritime operators and technology companies to help unlock an estimated N5 trillion in untapped opportunities in Nigeria’s blue economy.
Mobereola said the country’s maritime sector had the capacity to become a major source of investment, jobs and economic growth, but much of its potential remained largely untapped.
He spoke yesterday in Lagos at a high-level interactive session on the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP), where stakeholders examined ways to turn opportunities in the maritime sector into viable businesses and economic value.
He urged the gathering to help correct a historic imbalance and unlock the enormous potential of Nigeria’s blue economy.
Mobereola described the NIMASA-BEAP programme as not merely an agency programme, but rather a national economic imperative.
“Nigeria’s maritime economy represents a N5tn frontier that remains significantly underexploited. I am not here simply to describe a challenge. I am here to invite you to help us correct a historic imbalance and unlock the enormous potential of Nigeria’s blue economy,” Mobereola stated.
According to him, Nigeria has 853 kilometres of coastline, six major commercial seaports, and a maritime sector supporting logistics associated with more than two million barrels of oil production per day, “Yet we capture less than three per cent of the value generated across the maritime value chain moving through our waters. That is an imbalance we must change.”
He stressed that the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy in May 2025 firmly established the sector as a pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification, growth and prosperity.
“Our vision is therefore clear: to sustainably develop Nigeria’s blue-economy potential through innovation, enterprise and investment. This is the purpose of the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme being implemented with our Technical Partner, Opolo Global Innovation Ltd,” he added.
Mobereola reiterated that the NIMASA-BEAP is designed to ensure that the next Amara does not face that barrier.
He highlighted that through the 12-week accelerator and National Hackathon, the agency will identify, develop and connect innovators across thirteen maritime tracks with mentors, investors, industry leaders and opportunities within the maritime ecosystem.
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Mobereola emphasised that as the sector regulator, NIMASA is uniquely positioned to help bridge the gap from innovation to application, and from application to enterprise.
Earlier, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, commended NIMASA for the initiative.
Oyetola, who was represented at the event by the Director of Marine Conservation, Innovation and Technology at the Ministry, Hussainu Shettima, said, “I want to commend the DG of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, and NIMASA’s Executive Management Team, for the vision and institutional boldness this programme represents. This is not a routine government initiative, this is a paradigm shift — from NIMASA as a regulator, to NIMASA as a catalyst. The NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator sets a standard that I am proud, as Minister, to champion before this audience.”
He said that NIMASA has built an innovative programme that will identify Nigeria’s most promising blue economy startups across thirteen innovation tracks.
“To our commercial banks: the Accelerator’s alumni will need capital. I urge you to create dedicated blue economy lending windows. To our development finance institutions: blended finance and green bonds already exist in your toolkits. We are asking you to direct a portion of that infrastructure toward Nigeria’s emerging class of blue economy innovators. To our maritime industry stakeholders: the startups that emerge from this Accelerator will be building solutions for the industry,” he said.
Also speaking, a Director at Opolo Global Innovation Limited, Nkem Ogbuaku, said that with the initiative, the opportunity is massive.
“Because the opportunity is quite massive. And that’s why we at Opolo Global Innovation honour the legacy of those who are veterans across all sectors. Working hand-in-hand with the visionaries and the wonderful people in NIMASA has been able to put up this programme,” Ogbuaku said.
He stressed that the programme is designed to identify solutions, ideas, concepts and startups within the university corridor across all the breadth of Nigeria.
“In a way that rather than losing those talents, we can incubate them, accelerate them and through them you can support the industry, unveil the potential that is hidden in the blue economy and at the same time become a global champion,” he added.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, Aminu Umar, described the initiative as great and laudable.
“It is what the industry needs, the NCS will support the need because it is important to the industry,” he said.
