Nigeria: Nigeria, Norway Partner On Satellite Surveillance to Combat Illegal Fishing

What the report says

Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy said it is ready to work with Norway on satellite surveillance of Nigerian waters as part of efforts to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The account, published by This Day and distributed by AllAfrica, said the discussion took place in Abuja when Minister Adegboyega Oyetola received Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, on Monday, accompanied by a Norwegian official.

According to the report, Baera used the meeting to outline the Blue Justice initiative, which offers participating countries free satellite-based AIS vessel-tracking data through the Blue Justice Ocean Surveillance Programme. He said Nigeria could join the Blue Community to help authorities spot suspicious vessel movements, track so-called dark vessels and strengthen responses to illegal fishing and other maritime crimes.

Oyetola welcomed the proposal and said Nigeria would participate in the programme. He said illegal fishing harms local livelihoods, reduces state revenue and threatens the sustainable use of marine resources. He also linked better surveillance and intelligence sharing to stronger enforcement of fisheries rules.

The article places the issue in a broader policy context: Nigeria is trying to improve local fish production, cut dependence on imports, create jobs and protect foreign exchange. In general, satellite-based monitoring has become a common tool in maritime enforcement, especially where authorities seek better oversight of large or difficult-to-patrol waters.