Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has unveiled the Blue Economy Accelerator Programme, a strategic initiative aimed at identifying, nurturing, and accelerating innovative startups capable of driving sustainable growth and transformation across Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
The programme is designed to attract young entrepreneurs, innovators, and technology-driven enterprises with groundbreaking ideas that can unlock new opportunities, address industry challenges, and create lasting value within the nation’s maritime sector.
Speaking on the initiative, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, described the programme as a major step towards building an innovation-driven blue economy in line with the Federal Government’s development agenda.
According to him, participants will benefit from structured business development support, industry mentorship, technical guidance, and access to investment opportunities that will help transform promising ideas into commercially viable enterprises.
“The Blue Economy Accelerator Programme reflects NIMASA’s unwavering commitment to supporting the vision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in unlocking the enormous potential of Nigeria’s blue economy,”Mobereola said.
“Our objective is to empower young innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology-driven enterprises by providing them with the tools, mentorship, and networks required to build scalable businesses. Beyond that, we want to create a platform where investors can identify outstanding talents and provide the capital needed to transform innovative ideas into successful ventures.”
The NIMASA Director-General also applauded the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, CON, for providing strategic direction through the codification of the Marine and Blue Economy Policy, describing it as a comprehensive roadmap for the sustainable development of the sector.
He encouraged young Nigerians with innovative ideas to seize the opportunity offered by the programme, noting that it has the potential to transform creativity into commercially successful businesses capable of contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth.
“The future of the blue economy belongs to innovators. This programme is designed to help brilliant ideas evolve into sustainable businesses that will create jobs, attract investment, and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a leading maritime nation,” he added.
Applications are open to startups and innovators developing solutions in key areas of the blue economy, including marine waste management and the blue circular economy; aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; maritime technology and logistics innovation; ocean energy, including wave, tidal and offshore renewable energy; marine tourism and coastal recreation; marine biotechnology; ocean data and analytics; green shipping and vessel decarbonisation; smart port solutions; autonomous marine vehicles; biofouling prevention technologies; and coastal resilience through nature-based coastal defence solutions.
The inaugural phase of the Blue Economy Accelerator Programme is expected to attract no fewer than 150 high-quality applications from Nigerian innovators, both within the country and in the diaspora, reinforcing NIMASA’s commitment to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development within the nation’s maritime industry.