By Seun Ibiyemi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged African nations to embrace maritime sovereignty and stronger ocean governance as essential pillars for unlocking the continent’s blue economy potential and securing long-term economic growth.
Speaking at the High-Level Roundtable on Maritime Sovereignty and Ocean Governance during the Africa Forward Summit 2026 in Nairobi on Tuesday, Tinubu said Africa must move away from what he described as “sea blindness” and begin treating its maritime domain as a strategic economic asset.
The President said Nigeria had shifted its maritime approach from one focused mainly on security threats to a broader strategy centred on economic opportunity, regional cooperation and investment attraction.
“For too long, ‘sea blindness’ has meant that we have looked upon the vast waters under our jurisdiction as voids, or simply as sources of threat,” Tinubu stated.
“Nigeria is here to tell a different story: our maritime domain is a sovereign territory, and its governance must be asserted, resourced, and institutionalised.”
Tinubu noted that piracy incidents had been eliminated within Nigerian waters through the implementation of the Deep Blue Project, a maritime security initiative backed by advanced intelligence, surveillance and response infrastructure.
According to him, the project includes command-and-control centres, special mission vessels, fast intervention boats and aerial surveillance platforms designed to strengthen maritime security across the Gulf of Guinea.
“The global maritime community has acknowledged the elimination of piracy incidents within Nigerian waters and the substantial reduction of attacks across the Gulf of Guinea,” he said.
The President emphasised that maritime sovereignty was also an economic necessity, stressing that secure sea lanes and clear regulatory systems were critical for attracting private investment into Africa’s blue economy.
He highlighted Nigeria’s creation of a dedicated Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to institutionalising ocean governance as a major component of national development policy.
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Tinubu also called for greater collaboration among countries in the Gulf of Guinea, warning that maritime crime could not be effectively tackled through isolated national efforts.
“As we endorse the Nairobi Declaration, Nigeria affirms that maritime sovereignty and ocean governance are the non-negotiable foundations of Africa’s Blue Economy transformation,” he said.
He further urged African leaders to treat ocean governance as a generational responsibility, describing the oceans as a shared global heritage with no substitute.
