Nigeria Faces 2.2m-Tonne Annual Fish Deficit, Says FG

Nigeria is grappling with an annual fish supply deficit of more than 2.2 million tonnes, as domestic production remains significantly below national demand, the Federal Government has disclosed in a statement announcing a new $200m World Bank-backed initiative.

According to a report by Punch Newspaper on Sunday, November 8, 2026, while the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed the figures in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser, Dr Bolaji Akinola.

The ministry also said Nigeria requires about 3.6 million tonnes of fish every year but produces only 1.4 million tonnes, leaving a shortfall that is largely covered through imports costing the country nearly $1bn annually in foreign exchange.

The figures indicate that local producers meet only about 39 per cent of Nigeria’s yearly fish requirement, which leaves roughly 61 per cent of national demand unmet and therefore heavily dependent on imported fish supplies from other countries.

Oyetola disclosed that the World Bank Group had committed $200m to fisheries and aquaculture development, with the funding expected to reach state governments through concessional loans meant to expand production capacity, attract private investment and strengthen food security.

He spoke through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Marine and Blue Economy, Prof. Busayo Fakinlede, at an aquaculture investment training in Abuja, where commissioners from Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River states were in attendance.

Oyetola added that achieving fish sufficiency would require stronger collaboration among federal and state governments, investors and development partners, and noted that national production has risen from 1.1 million to 1.4 million tonnes, up about 27.3 per cent.

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