- Tinubu Calls For Africa’s Shift From Sea Blindness To Ocean Sovereignty
- Says Africa Must Embrace Ocean Sovereignty
- Pushes Maritime Security As Key To Africa’s Blue Economy
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on African nations to move from what he described as “sea blindness” to “ocean sovereignty” in order to unlock the continent’s blue economy potential and strengthen maritime governance.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Tinubu made the call during the High-Level Roundtable on Maritime Sovereignty and Ocean Governance at the Africa Forward Summit 2026 held in Nairobi.
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According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, the President said Africa must stop viewing its waterways merely as security threats and begin to see them as strategic economic assets.
“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 stated.
The President stressed that maritime sovereignty remains critical to Africa’s economic future, noting that secure sea routes and predictable regulations are necessary to attract private investment into the blue economy sector.
Tinubu also disclosed that piracy incidents within Nigerian waters had been eliminated following sustained investments in maritime security infrastructure under the Deep Blue Project.
According to him, the project deployed intelligence and surveillance systems, command-and-control centres, special mission vessels, fast intervention boats and aerial platforms to improve security across Nigerian waters and the Gulf of Guinea.
He added that the global maritime community had acknowledged the reduction of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea and the elimination of incidents within Nigerian territorial waters.
The President further highlighted the creation of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as part of Nigeria’s institutional reforms aimed at making ocean governance a major component of national policy.
Tinubu called for stronger regional cooperation among Gulf of Guinea nations, warning that maritime crimes could not be effectively tackled by countries working independently.
“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 also urged African leaders to treat ocean governance as a long-term responsibility for future generations, stressing that the oceans remain a shared heritage of mankind.
