Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has called on Danish investors and businesses to take advantage of the vast investment opportunities in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy, assuring them of attractive incentives, strong returns and a business environment increasingly geared towards private-sector participation.
Oyetola made the call in Copenhagen, Denmark during a bilateral meeting with Denmark’s Minister for Business and Competitiveness, Martin Lidegaard, as Nigeria stepped up efforts to attract Danish investment, technology and expertise into the country’s maritime sector.
The meeting was part of the activities of the official Nigerian Ministerial Delegation to Denmark on Maritime and the Blue Economy, led by Oyetola, with discussions focused on investment, maritime infrastructure, technology, green transition, port efficiency, skills development and sustainable economic growth.
The minister and his delegation also held discussions with other senior representatives of the Danish government and the wider Danish maritime sector.
The minister said Nigeria had moved beyond establishing the institutional framework for the Marine and Blue Economy and was now entering a phase focused on project development, investment mobilisation, improved sector performance and capacity building.
“Nigeria is looking for partnerships that can improve sector performance, attract investment, deploy technology, strengthen skills and safety, advance sustainability and create quality jobs,” Oyetola said.
He emphasised that Nigeria’s marine and blue economy was open for investment, pointing to opportunities across ports and logistics, shipbuilding and repair, maritime services, digital technology, fisheries, green shipping, renewable energy, marine infrastructure, financing and multimodal connectivity.
According to him, Nigeria’s extensive coastline, inland waterways, large consumer market and strategic location within West and Central Africa provide investors with access to a wide range of opportunities across the maritime value chain, with significant potential for long-term commercial returns.
He noted that the established presence of Danish-origin companies in Nigeria’s maritime sector demonstrates the viability of the market and provides a solid platform for expanding commercial relations between both countries.
“The presence of some Danish companies in Nigeria provides a strong foundation on which we can build. We want to deepen that relationship and create the conditions for more Danish businesses, investors and technology providers to participate in Nigeria’s maritime transformation,” he said.
The minister urged Danish businesses to look beyond existing investments and explore emerging opportunities in Nigeria’s maritime value chain, stressing that the country needs strategic partners capable of bringing capital, technology, expertise and innovation into the sector.
He said the Nigeria-Denmark engagement was designed to move beyond broad diplomatic commitments towards identifying bankable projects and practical partnerships capable of delivering measurable economic outcomes.
For Denmark, which has internationally recognised expertise in shipping, maritime services, logistics, green technologies and sustainable ocean industries, Oyetola said Nigeria presented an opportunity to combine Danish technology and expertise with the scale and commercial potential of Africa’s largest economy.
Lidegaard welcomed the prospect of closer engagement with Nigeria’s Marine and Blue Economy agenda and stressed the importance of practical partnerships involving businesses, government institutions, technology providers and knowledge institutions.
He said such partnerships would be critical to developing solutions that could be implemented, expanded and commercially sustained in both countries.
The Minister’s delegation included the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Fatima Mahmood; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Marine and Blue Economy, Professor Busayo Fakinlede; Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho; Director-General, Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr. Pius Akutah; and Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, among others.