National Fisheries, Aqua Culture Policy in Nigeria 2025-2029: Professor Onoja Proffers Key Elements in Validation
Juliet Vincent
Stakeholders in the Marine and Blue Economy sector converged in Abuja to validate the National Fisheries and Aqua Culture Policy for Nigeria 2025-2029.
Presenting the policy’s key elements to the diverse stakeholders, Prof. Anthony Onoja, Team Lead of the Policy Writing Committee, noted that the policy has three primary objectives.
Professor Onoja is President of the Agricultural Policy Research Network (APRNet) as well as Professor Extraordinarius at the University of South Africa.
This was contained in a statement Friday signed by Mrs. Dominica Toruka.
The Don enumerated objectives as to ensure sustainable development of fisheries and aqua culture for nutrition and food security, to optimize human and natural resource utilization and conservation to attain self-sufficiency, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability in fish production, and to provide inclusive and sustainable livelihoods, create wealth, and reduce poverty.
The Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, declaring the event open, commended the CGAIR initiative on Aquatic Food Systems for funding the policy drafting process in partnership with the Nigerian Government.
He pointed out that primary goal of the policy is to enhance sustainability in fisheries and aqua culture production in Nigeria, ensuring a reliable supply of nutritious food for the growing population.
A key target of the policy is to increase aqua culture production by approximately one million metric tons within the next five years.
The policy is the culmination of collaborative efforts between the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, with Prof. Onoja leading the draft team.
