Nigeria: Fish-Sufficiency - Govt Unveils $200m World Bank-Backed Fish Production Drive

What the report says

Nigeria’s federal government says it is stepping up a drive to make the country self-sufficient in fish production, backed by a $200 million commitment from the World Bank Group. According to This Day, the funding is intended to help state governments expand fisheries and aquaculture, attract investment and narrow Nigeria’s dependence on imported fish.

The announcement was made by Marine and Blue Economy Minister Adegboyega Oyetola at an aquaculture investment training session in Abuja, where officials from several coastal and inland states, along with technical officers and policymakers, gathered to discuss how to turn aquaculture opportunities into bankable projects. The program focused on project design, business models, risk controls, environmental safeguards and public-private partnerships.

The ministry said the strategy depends on stronger state-level participation, with each state expected to identify priority value chains and build project pipelines. The report says Nigeria consumes about 3.6 million tonnes of fish a year but produces roughly 1.4 million tonnes, leaving a large gap that is covered mainly by imports. The government says reducing that deficit would support food security, rural livelihoods and foreign exchange savings.

This is part of a broader push around Nigeria’s marine and blue economy agenda. The report also noted efforts such as export certification for shrimp and investment plans tied to fish processing infrastructure, though the immediate focus is on converting the World Bank support into production gains at state level.