Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has called on Nigeria’s coastal states to take full advantage of their vast maritime resources to drive economic growth, declaring that the country’s blue economy holds immense potential for national development if properly harnessed.
The governor also announced the appointment of a Transaction Adviser for the proposed Agge Deep Seaport, saying the project has advanced to the inception report stage as part of efforts to transform it into a major regional maritime hub.
Diri made the remarks on Thursday while delivering the keynote address at the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s 2nd Quarter 2026 Citizens/Stakeholders’ Engagement held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme, “Sub-National Leadership in Advancing Nigeria’s Maritime and Blue Economy: The Bayelsa Experience and Pathways for Coastal State Development,” the governor stressed that Nigeria’s coastal states must move beyond being passive beneficiaries of maritime resources to becoming active drivers of the nation’s blue economy.
According to him, although Nigeria boasts more than 850 kilometres of coastline, the coastal states possess the waterways and should therefore play a leading role in unlocking the sector’s enormous economic opportunities.
Diri proposed five strategic pathways for advancing the blue economy at the sub-national level. He urged coastal states to establish dedicated ministries or agencies with sufficient political and financial authority, enact blue economy laws aligned with the national policy while reflecting local realities, secure and properly map their maritime domains, strengthen coastal security and develop credible ocean data.
He further advocated the establishment of maritime skills development hubs, modern fish processing facilities and cold storage infrastructure, as well as stronger integration of coastal producers into national and international value chains.
The governor noted that Bayelsa became the first state in Nigeria to establish a full-fledged Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2024, following President Bola Tinubu’s creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2023.
“To ignore the Blue Economy in Bayelsa would be to ignore Bayelsa itself. That is why, following the initiative of the Federal Government, Bayelsa is not merely a state with a bespoke ministry; we are a national model for how to institutionalise and mainstream the Blue Economy at the sub-national level,” he said.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements, Diri described the proposed Agge Deep Seaport as a flagship project that would serve as a gateway for regional trade, logistics, industrial development, fisheries exports and greater economic integration within the Gulf of Guinea.
He disclosed that government had appointed a Transaction Adviser for the project and that work had progressed to the inception report stage.
The governor expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and other federal agencies for their support, expressing optimism that continued collaboration would help transform the Agge Seaport from a vision into a commercially viable reality.
Diri also revealed that the Bayelsa State Blue Economy Law was nearing completion, explaining that the legislation would provide legal certainty for investors, protect marine ecosystems and safeguard the interests of coastal communities.
“We are currently finalising the Bayelsa State Blue Economy Law. This legislation will provide certainty for investment, protect our ecosystems, and enshrine the rights of coastal communities. Investors do not gamble where the law is silent,” he stated.
On investment opportunities, the governor said the state had commenced the operationalisation of the Bayelsa Aquaculture Village at Yenegwe, a 127-hectare facility designed as a production, training and enterprise hub.
According to him, the project features a hatchery capable of producing over three million fingerlings per production cycle, 500 grow-out ponds measuring 20 metres by 50 metres each, and a feed mill with a daily production capacity of 20 tonnes of fish feed.
Declaring the event open, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, said the implementation of Nigeria’s National Blue Economy Policy had provided a strategic framework for harnessing opportunities within the nation’s oceans, inland waterways and coastal resources.
Oyetola stressed that the success of the policy would require active collaboration among the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector and development partners to realise President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Also speaking, President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, represented by the Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Simon Akin Omole, said Nigeria’s blue economy should no longer be defined by its potential but by deliberate actions to unlock its value.
“The decisions we make today will determine whether future generations inherit a coastline of untapped promise or a globally competitive economy that drives investments, industrialisation and shared prosperity,” he said.
The event attracted key stakeholders in the maritime sector, including representatives of the governors of Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Borno states, Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, Mr. Olu Alade and Dr. Abdulkarim Babagana respectively, as well as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Marine and Blue Economy, Senator Wasiu Sanni.
Governor Diri was accompanied by the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Faith Izibenua-Godwin, Commissioners for Information and Environment, Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai and Hon. Ben Ololo, General Manager of the Bayelsa Housing and Property Development Authority, Hon. Tonye Isenah, and former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe.