Nigeria’s Emerging Blue Economy: 2025 Scorecard, Customs Surge & the New Maritime Power Map
In a landmark year marked by interesting policy breakthroughs, maritime-security gains, port revitalisation, and record Customs revenues, Nigeria’s blue economy finally entered a new era in 2025. BRANDECONOMY presents the definitive scorecard—grading institutions, spotlighting standout leaders, and projecting what 2026 will demand of Africa’s largest ocean-facing economy.
2025: The Year Nigeria’s Blue Economy Became a Strategy—Not a Slogan
For decades, the blue economy hovered in Nigeria’s policy vocabulary without ever maturing into a coherent national programme. That changed dramatically in 2025.
Nigeria launched its first 10-Year National Marine & Blue Economy Policy (2025–2034)—a strategic blueprint covering shipping, ports, aquaculture, marine mining, coastal tourism, marine research, and sustainable ocean resources. For the first time, the country established a long-term framework linking maritime reforms with job creation, environmental stewardship, economic diversification, and global competitiveness.
To move this policy beyond theory, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy introduced Performance Bonds for all maritime agencies—a transparency and accountability tool that tied each CEO’s job security to measurable, time-bound KPIs.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s maritime-security architecture, anchored by the Deep Blue Project, recorded another year of incident-free operations in territorial waters, transforming the Gulf of Guinea narrative from “high-risk zone” to “global case study in coordinated maritime security.”
By the end of 2025, the country’s maritime identity had shifted from reactive administration to proactive nation-building.
2. Major Milestones in Nigeria’s 2025 Maritime & Blue Economy Evolution
2.1 Policy, Governance & Global Positioning
A. Nigeria Unveils 10-Year National Marine & Blue Economy Policy
The landmark policy provided a unified direction for ocean governance, port modernization, inland waterways optimisation, marine biodiversity, climate adaptation, offshore renewable energy, and blue-economy financing. It established a baseline for Nigeria’s transformation into a maritime-driven growth economy.
B. Deep Blue Project Consolidates Zero-Piracy Success
Nigeria’s integrated maritime security system—comprising special-mission vessels, aircraft, and rapid-response units—achieved continued suppression of piracy and armed robbery at sea. This consistent security climate strengthened investor confidence across the maritime value chain.
C. Nigeria Re-Emerges as a Global Maritime Voice
Nigeria regained a seat on the International Maritime Organization Council, restoring its influence in international maritime rule-making and positioning the nation as a leading voice on marine safety, environmental standards, and ocean-governance reforms.
D. Performance Bonds for All Maritime Agencies
For the first time, leaders of port, shipping, regulatory, and inland-waterway agencies signed accountability agreements tied to the delivery of specific outcomes. This reform unified previously competing agencies under a shared national performance architecture.
2.2 Infrastructure & Port Development
Lekki Deep Sea Port Comes Into Its Own
Nigeria’s only operational deep-water port expanded its operational footprint in 2025, emerging as the most efficient container gateway in the country. Its location within an industrial free zone positioned it as a nucleus for manufacturing, petrochemicals, logistics, and export processing.
South-South Deep Port Pipeline Gains Momentum
New deep-port projects in Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers State advanced through feasibility, planning, or early development stages. These ports are expected to decentralize maritime traffic from Lagos, create coastal industrial corridors, and spark new ocean-economy clusters.
2.3 Nigeria Customs Service: The Trade Engine of the Blue Economy
Though outside the Marine Ministry, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is the operational nerve centre of the nation’s trade ecosystem—and in 2025 it delivered a standout performance.
A. Record-Breaking Revenues
Customs revenue surged across several commands, driven by automation, stricter enforcement, and improvements in compliance culture. Seaport commands surpassed annual targets months ahead of schedule, underscoring new efficiency levels in cargo processing.
B. New Seaport Commands Boost Throughput
The establishment of new Customs commands—particularly in emerging industrial port zones—accelerated inland and coastal trade while unlocking previously underserved maritime corridors.
C. Nigeria Takes Leadership Role in Global Customs Community
Nigeria’s Comptroller-General assumed the chairmanship of the world’s premier Customs organisation, placing the country at the centre of global dialogue on trade facilitation, customs digitalisation, border technology, and anti-smuggling cooperation.
D. Trade Facilitation Reforms Intensify
A reinforced digital modernisation agenda, enhanced risk management, updated valuation frameworks, and Nigeria’s advance-preparedness for AfCFTA protocols placed Customs at the heart of Nigeria’s economic diversification play.
2.4 Other Key Players in the Maritime and Blue Economy Arena
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)
Pursued port-efficiency initiatives, upgraded critical port infrastructure, enhanced marine services, expanded digital tools, and strengthened collaboration with terminal operators.
Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA)
Drove maritime safety, shipping development, marine-environment protection, crew training, and the national advocacy campaign for ocean-based economic opportunities.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)
Worked to reshape the logistics environment by strengthening its role as the competition regulator for shipping services and protecting cargo interests across the supply chain.
National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)
Maintained its mandate over inland navigation and waterways development, though still constrained by regulatory bottlenecks, infrastructure limitations, and funding gaps.
NIOMR & Marine Research Institutions
Advanced research in aquaculture, fisheries, oceanography, blue-biotechnology, and climate-resilient marine systems—critical for Nigeria’s long-term food-security and conservation agenda.
3. Africa’s Blue Economy Moment: Beyond Nigeria
2025 saw multiple African nations positioning themselves as maritime growth centres:
- Ghana expanded the capacity of its flagship port, improving container-handling competitiveness.
- Kenya implemented a national spatial plan for marine resources and hosted Africa’s prominent blue-economy dialogues.
- Continental bodies deepened alignment with global sustainability frameworks, emphasising blue finance, marine tourism, resilient fisheries, and climate adaptation.
Africa’s coastlines are entering a new age of strategic relevance—and Nigeria’s scale makes its alignment essential to the continent’s competitiveness.
4. BRANDECONOMY MDA SCORECARD — Grading Nigeria’s 2025 Blue Economy Institutions
Performance Scale
0–10 → Aggregate of leadership, reforms, execution, innovation, transparency, and 2025 impact.
| Institution | Score (0–10) | BRANDECONOMY Verdict | 2026 Prospects Rank |
| Federal Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy | 8.5 | Strong policy anchor, clear strategic framework, coordinated reforms. Execution capacity will be decisive in 2026. | 1 |
| Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) | 8.0 | Outstanding revenue expansion, global leadership role, accelerated modernisation. Must deepen clearance efficiency. | 2 |
| NIMASA | 7.5 | Security leadership via Deep Blue, active in advocacy and safety. Needs stronger industry-facing programmes. | 3 |
| NPA | 7.0 | Port reforms progressing; infrastructure gaps remain. Needs transformational projects to match global benchmarks. | 4 |
| Nigerian Shippers’ Council | 6.5 | Strengthening regulatory presence; needs sharper enforcement on service standards and tariffs. | 5 |
| NIOMR / Marine Research System | 6.0 | Important work behind the scenes; needs commercialisation pipelines to scale economic impact. | 6 |
| NIWA | 5.0 | Huge potential in inland waterways; limited progress visible. Regulatory reforms are essential. | 7 |
5. Outstanding Personalities of the Nigerian Blue Economy in 2025
Adegboyega Oyetola – Minister of Marine & Blue Economy
The chief strategist behind Nigeria’s 10-Year Marine & Blue Economy Policy, Oyetola provided the political will, coherence, and direction that the sector had lacked for decades. His emphasis on accountability, performance bonds, and structural reform set the tone for a new era of maritime governance.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi – Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service
A transformational leader who pushed Customs into an unprecedented phase of modernisation, revenue growth, and international leadership. Under his stewardship, the Service intensified digitisation, strengthened enforcement, improved compliance, and positioned Nigeria as a global influencer in customs administration.
Muhammad Bello-Koko – Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)
A pivotal figure in Nigeria’s port modernisation drive, Bello-Koko championed operational reforms aimed at improving vessel turnaround time, enhancing marine services, deepening digital port adoption, and strengthening collaboration with terminal operators. His leadership contributed to the improvement of port efficiency, supported deep-seaport growth, and reinforced Nigeria’s competitiveness in the West African maritime corridor.
Leadership of NIMASA
The Agency’s executive cadre played a defining role in sustaining the maritime-security gains of the Deep Blue Project, strengthening safety oversight, enhancing training capacity, and amplifying the national case for a diversified ocean economy. Their work underpinned Nigeria’s improved global maritime reputation.
6. Outlook for 2026: The Year of Delivery
Opportunities
- Port-led industrial corridors along the Lagos–Lekki–South-South coastline
- Digitised customs platforms enabling faster trade and AfCFTA readiness
- Emerging ocean-based industries: aquaculture, marine tourism, blue-biotech, offshore renewables
- Private-sector appetite for coastal infrastructure and logistics investments
Risks
- Execution shortfalls and bureaucratic inertia
- Inter-agency overlaps slowing implementation
- Environmental vulnerabilities across coastal communities
- Global shipping headwinds affecting freight volume and capital flows
2026 must shift Nigeria from policy enthusiasm to measurable delivery.
