By Benson Daniel
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress Programme to strengthen Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture sector and unlock greater opportunities within the country’s blue economy.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, gave the assurance during a meeting with a delegation from Partners of the Americas, the implementing partner for the USDA Food for Progress Programme in Nigeria.
Mahmood said the Federal Government was ready to provide the policy guidance, institutional support and coordination required to ensure effective implementation of the programme.
She described the initiative as a strategic intervention capable of improving productivity, strengthening livelihoods and supporting sustainable growth across Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture value chain.
According to her, developing the sector is particularly important to the country’s food security efforts because of its potential to increase domestic fish production, improve access to affordable protein and create employment opportunities for Nigerians.
She also said the government was committed to unlocking the potential of the blue economy as a driver of food security, job creation, poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth.
The Permanent Secretary assured the delegation that the ministry would work closely with Partners of the Americas and other development partners to ensure that the programme complements existing government initiatives and produces measurable benefits for fishers, aquaculture operators, processors, marketers and other participants in the value chain.
The delegation was led by Gustavo Galdo, who introduced the USDA Food for Progress Nigeria Programme and outlined its objectives, implementation strategy and expected outcomes.
Galdo explained that the programme was designed to improve agricultural productivity and expand trade in developing countries, adding that its focus on fisheries and aquaculture in Nigeria would contribute to better livelihoods, increased access to protein and more resilient food systems.
He identified improved access to quality inputs and finance, stronger market systems, increased productivity and greater private sector participation as some of the programme’s major areas of intervention.
He further disclosed that baseline studies were already underway to provide evidence for targeted interventions and help identify gaps and opportunities across the sector.
The collaboration comes at a time when Nigeria is seeking to expand domestic food production and reduce dependence on imported fish while creating more economic opportunities from its vast aquatic resources.
Both sides also explored ways to address productivity gaps, financing constraints, limited market access and policy challenges that have continued to affect the competitiveness and sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture industry.
The Federal Government expects the partnership to strengthen the entire aquatic value chain, encourage investment and improve the capacity of local operators to participate more effectively in production, processing and marketing.
If successfully implemented, the initiative could also support Nigeria’s broader blue economy ambitions by turning its fisheries and aquaculture resources into stronger sources of employment, food supply and economic growth.
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