22/11/2025
Potentials of Nigeria's Blue Economy Comes to the Fore as FUTA Hosts World Fisheries Congress
The Federal University of Technology Akure, hosted the world Fisheries congress from November 19 to 21, 2025.
In a lecture titled, "Blue Economy and Food Security, Pathways to sustainable Aquaculture in Nigeria," delivered by Emeritus Professor of Fish Nutrition and Bio- Chemistry Adebisi Balogun, he said Nigeria is endowed with abundant marine and fresh water resources, assets which position the country strategically to benefit from a thriving Blue Economy.
He said Fish accounts for nearly half of the total animal protein consumption in Nigeria. Professor Balogun reiterated that despite this institutional advancement Nigeriaโs Blue Economy remains under exploited.
He defined Aquaculture as the farming of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions. According to him aquaculture is a key pillar of the Blue Economy, offering solutions to food insecurity, unemployment and foreign exchange losses.
He further went on to say that Nigeria is Africaโs second largest aquaculture producer, contributing roughly 19% of the continents total production, however domestic aquaculture still meets only a fraction of national demand.
Balogun , a former Vice Chancellor of FUTA highlighted pathways to sustainable Aquaculture in Nigeria as, Technology and Innovation, robust policy and institutional framework for sustainable Agricultural growth, Investment and capacity building, public private partnership which can catalyze large scale projects and attract both domestic and foreign investment, climate resilience and environmental stewardship and key policy measures for scaling sustainable Aquaculture.
Delivering another lecture, titled climate smart Agricultural and food Processing Technologies for on Farm Applications, the Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan Professor Anjum Munir, stated that Pakistan like almost all countries of the world is vulnerable to the impact of climate change, including the rise in sea levels droughts and extreme weather conditions.
He said the only way to tackle this menace is to go smart, via the application of equipment like Solar powered cold storage system and the preservation of perishables, solar controlled dehydrators.
Describing the Solar powered cold storage he said it can be successfully utilized for the preservation of 1.5-2 tons of multi-product storage employing 2TR with 5KWp solar system.He also said variable rate sprayer for targeted spraying application have given best results at forward speed of 4 to 5 km/h and flow rates 500 to 1200 L/h with average field capacity of 2 ha/h.
In related lecture titled, Building Resilient Fisheries for a changing climate, the Honorable Commissioner for, Edcation, Ondo State and a Professor of Agricultural economics, Igbekele Ajibefun said at the ecological level, resilience starts with healthy and diverse marine habitats. He noted that protecting nursery grounds like mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs gives species the space to recover from climate driven stress. Ajibefun opined that Technology can accelerate the transition via climate- informed stock assessment, vessel-based monitoring, satellite data and AI-assisted modelling all help managers where fish are going and why.
According to him resilience means supporting fishing communities themselves. Investing in diversified income, climate resilient infrastructure, and fair access to decisions ,making sure that people not just the eco system can withstand rapid change.
The erudite Prof stated that building resilient fisheries means blending science, flexibility, cooperation and social equity. He said when these elements work together, Fisheries can continue to feed millions -even as the climate tests the limit of the worldโs ocean.
Earlier in an address the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Taiwo Amos, restated the importance of the congress which is focused on addressing one of the most pressing global challenges.
The Vice Chancellor, acknowledged and celebrated the outstanding leadership and dedication of the Department of Fisheries and Acquaculture Technology of FUTA, the organizing force behind the congress.
Professor Oladiji said Nigeria is blessed with extensive marine and inland water resources from the coastal waters of the Niger Delta to the River Basins and reservoirs that enrich the diverse regions. The VC stated that these resources face increasing threats such as climate change, pollution, overfishing, habitat degradation and others.
She said Hosting the 2025 World Fisheries Congress is a testament to FUTA'S commitment to advancing the blue economy in Nigeria.
At the Congress , the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, represented by the commissioner for Agriculture, Engr. Leye Akinola, said the state government is highly impressed with the giant strides FUTA is making in the academic space. He said FUTA as an institution is very keen on disseminating the awareness of climate change to students and the general public at large. He encouraged the participants to seize the opportunity from the congress and learn new things.
The Dean School of Agriculture an Agricultural Technology, Professor. Olabode Adebayo, described the management as one that consistently ensure things are done well. He also commended the HOD, Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Professor Olamide Olawusi-Peters and the members of the organizing committee for putting together a successful program. He restated that SAAT remains committed to organizing programs that others in the school can look up to.
Among the dignitaries that graced the programme include Royal fathers, Erudite scholars and top government functionaries.
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