NSE urges govt to harness coastline potential

The Nigerian Society of Engineers has called on the Federal Government to explore the economic opportunities provided by the nation’s 850km coastline to grow the non-oil sector.

This was part of the observations issued in a communique at the 58th International Engineering Conference, Exhibition, and Annual General Meeting, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday.

Presenting the communique to journalists on Saturday, the President of NSE, Margaret Oguntala, said Nigeria has the potential to grow non-oil sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, and renewable ocean energy.

She explained that the nation’s long coastline, if properly utilised, could significantly enhance economic growth, particularly in diversifying from the oil and gas sector.

“There are growing environmental threats such as coastal erosion, flooding, pollution from industrial effluents, oil spills, and unmanaged waste, which continue to degrade marine ecosystems and endanger livelihoods. These remain persistent threats due to limited modern coastal defence engineering solutions,” Oguntala said.

As a solution, the NSE urged the government to develop an integrated National Blue Economy Policy Framework that harmonizes the roles of all relevant agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Nigerian Ports Authority, National Inland Waterways Authority, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Maritime Academy of Nigeria (Oron), Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, and various fisheries and marine technology institutes.

The communique stated, “Nigerian engineers should be challenged to acquire prerequisite leadership skills and positioned to build the infrastructure and develop the technologies required to unlock the potential inherent in the marine and blue economy in order to reduce reliance on the oil industry.”

It further called on the government and private sector to collaborate and prioritise the modernisation and expansion of ports, jetties, and coastal transportation infrastructure, adopting global engineering best practices. Investments in marine biotechnology, aquaculture technologies, and ocean renewable energy systems were also recommended to unlock resource potential.

“Government in collaboration with relevant stakeholders should create dedicated national programs to upgrade coastal protection systems using sustainable engineering designs, such as eco-revetments and nature-based shoreline stabilisation,” the communique added.

“Also, the government should strengthen enforcement capacity through engineering-enabled surveillance systems, maritime safety protocols, compliance monitoring tools, as well as marine pollution monitoring technologies and engineering-driven waste-management solutions,” it concluded.