Nigeria prioritising women, youth in fisheries reform to boost nutritional security — Fatima Sugra T. Mahmood,
By Sola Ogundipe
Towards repositioning Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture subsector as a key driver of national nutritional security and economic growth, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has called for coordinated action among Federal, State and Local Governments, development partners, financial institutions, investors, research institutions and organised cooperatives.
Making the call in Lagos at the Nigeria National Fisheries Stakeholders’ Forum on Fisheries and Blue Economy Overview and Priorities, led by African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and TradeMark Africa, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Fatima Sugra T. Mahmood emphasised that the sector’s true potential lies in transitioning from simple production to a robust, inclusive value chain that prioritises household nutrition and economic resilience.
Mahmood who was the Chief Guest at the forum held under the theme “Strengthening Inclusive and Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy for Job Creation in Nigeria,” said while the government’s focus is on job creation and export growth under the AfCFTA, the Ministry is doubling down on the link between economic empowerment and public health.
She remarked that the federal government is implementing deliberate reforms to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy efforts that align strongly with national commitment to maximise opportunities presented by AfCFTA.
The Women & Youth Economic Empowerment in the Fisheries sector through the Inclusive Market Access Programme is a five-year initiative (2024-2029) led by the AfCFTA Secretariat, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, WorldFish, and TradeMark Africa.
The programme aims to empower women and youth in the fisheries sector and related enterprises across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania (including Zanzibar), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Nigeria, and select island states, including the Comoros and Cabo Verde.
Further, it aims to create over 242,000 decent jobs and address economic inequalities by improving market access, strengthening business skills, and fostering inclusive economic opportunities.
The programme seeks to identify and progressively address key barriers to the engagement of women and youth in fisheries and cross-border trade, thereby promoting sustainable,equitable, and inclusive economic growth.
Mahmood highlighted that when women, who constitute over 60 percent of fish processing and marketing activities, are economically empowered, the ripple effects are immediate.
“Despite their significant contributions, women and youth continue to face persistent challenges including limited access to affordable finance, inadequate infrastructure, post-harvest losses, limited access to modern technologies and weak bargaining power in the marketplace. Addressing these challenges is critical if we are to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth in the sector.
“In recognition of the important role women and youth play, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, through the Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, continues to prioritise their inclusion in its programmes and interventions.
“Deliberate preference is given to women and youth in capacity-building initiatives and empowerment programmes. Beneficiaries have been supported through the distribution of improved smoking kilns, fingerlings, fish feed, fibre-glass tanks, collapsible tanks and other critical inputs aimed at enhancing productivity, reducing post-harvest losses and increasing incomes.
She said when women thrive in business, the benefits extend far beyond income generation to improved nutrition for families, better education outcomes, and stronger community resilience.
“However, policies alone are not sufficient. What is critical is the translation of policy commitments into measurable impact at the community level. Achieving this requires coordinated action among Federal, State and Local Governments, development partners, financial institutions, investors, research institutions and organised cooperatives.
“It also requires reliable data, innovative financing instruments, digital trade solutions and targeted capacity building programmes that respond directly to the needs of fisherfolk, fish farmers, processors and traders.
“The opportunities presented under the AfCFTA are significant. Cross-border trade in fish and fishery products has the potential to expand markets, stabilise prices, increase incomes and strengthen regional food security.”
Giving further insight, the Country Representative for WorldFish, Dr Charles Iyangbe said, “We want to see what are the barriers to trade and how we can simplify and enable the participation particularly of youth and women in Nigeria.
“They are the main actors in the fisheries sub-sector and they are also part of those that supply us with the food that we eat, so they play a very important role in national food security, so across Africa, the story is the same and this particular programme is actually going to be across Africa.
“The development of the value chain of fisheries and agriculture in Nigeria, the optimisation of trade between the African countries, to ensure that it is seamless, is digitalised, to improve transparency and accountability and also to reduce transaction time for those that are trading across borders and also within.”
On her part, Anataria Uwamariya, the Director of Business Competitiveness and Board member at TradeMark Africa said they were looking to engage different decoders within the fisheries sector in Nigeria.
“We understand specific barriers and challenges for women in the value chain, the main purpose of this programme is to enhance work opportunities for women and youth, especially young women in the fisheries value chain, while leveraging increase in intra-articulation.
“The challenges that we will be looking for are the ease of trading across borders, and the cost it takes for women to actually participate in trading activities and how we can ease and simplify their work for them. Then the other bigger one, especially when it comes to productivity capacity, is access to finance.”
Also speaking, Mr. Themba Khumalo, Head of the Private Sector Unit at the AfCFTA Secretariat, said cross-border trade in fish and fishery products has potential to expand markets, stabilise prices, increase incomes and strengthen regional food security.
“Simplified trade procedures, harmonised standards, efficient border processes and improved access to trade information are essential if the benefits of continental integration are to be widely shared.
“We believe AfCFTA presents enough economies of scale to be able to help us justify investments in the sector. Nigeria has obviously always been a fishing country and we see a huge percentage in terms of contribution to GDP but all we’re saying is that we can then be able to look beyond Nigeria.
“We’re trying to look at how to facilitate cross-border trade, there are markets out there that either look at fish feeds or fish products that can be served, and that is why we are working with a number of countries as part of the pilot programme.”
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By Sola Ogundipe Towards repositioning Nigeria’s fisheries and aquaculture subsector as a key driver of national nutritional security and economic growth, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has called for coordinated action among Federal, State and Local Governments, development partners, financial institutions, investors, research institutions and organised cooperatives. Making the call in Lagos […]
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