By Martins Azuwike
On Friday, November 28, 2025, Nigeria was re-elected to the Category C Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London for the 2026-2027 biennium.
This marked the culmination of months of intense negotiations, dedicated engagements, and relentless advocacy across nations, maritime sectors, and federations.
The Minister of the newly established Maritime and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, who led the country’s recent campaign, was quoted as saying after the election: “This victory is not just for Nigeria; it is a vote of confidence in our maritime reforms, our security efforts in the Gulf of Guinea, and the bold vision of His Excellency President Tinubu to unlock the full potential of the blue economy.
It is a landmark endorsement of the renewed confidence the world has in Nigeria under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Our return to the IMO Council after fourteen years signals that Nigeria is back—stronger, more strategic, and more committed to contributing meaningfully to shaping the future of global shipping, maritime safety, and sustainable ocean governance.” Congratulations and best wishes.
This victory, achieved fourteen years after the country lost its membership in the prestigious Council, is a joyful and triumphant outcome that everyone should cherish.
It is even more significant considering that efforts in the past biennial elections of the IMO’s General Assembly to bring Nigeria back to the Council had previously fallen short.
However, while celebrating this achievement, we must also reflect and assess. Category C Council Membership Explained The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council remains the governing organ of the organization between Assembly sessions. The Council has three categories: A, B, and C. Category A comprises 10 states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services.
While Category B accommodates 10 states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade, Category C (where Nigeria now belongs) comprises 20 states with special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election ensures fair geographic representation.
This implies that the country’s election confers the right to represent its maritime interests and contribute to the organization’s decision-making, even if it is not one of the world’s biggest shipping or trading nations.
According to reports on the 2024-2025 IMO Council elections, African countries now in the various categories of the IMO Council include Liberia in Category A, as one of the world’s largest flag states, Egypt in Category C, and Nigeria also in Category C. Kenya, which contested for Category C in the latest biennium election, was unsuccessful.
Nigeria was a member of the IMO Category C Council from 2007-2011, but lost its seat at the 27th Regular Session of the Assembly in London in November 2011due to the intensity of competition, with 40 countries elected into Categories A, B, and C for the 2012-2013 biennium.
The development marked the beginning of the country’s 14-year wait and absence from the IMO Council until its recent re-election. The responsibility While the IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping, the Council remains one of its governing bodies, where member states participate in core decision-making on maritime safety, environmental standards, and shipping regulations.
Membership in the prestigious Council signals recognition of countries’ importance in global oceanic affairs. These three demand that the country pursue maritime and blue economy efforts with relentless enthusiasm and utmost focus, beyond just boasting and polished statements.
Maritime is serious business, and the delicate caution here suggests that the country should also reflect on responsibilities, brace for challenges, and consider the wide-ranging implications of its membership in the Council. Good for Nigeria’s profile No scintilla of doubt.
The achievement is a big boost to the country’s silhouette in global maritime governance, and calls for well-placed serenading. Membership of the Council implies international recognition, which exudes national pride.
The responsibility reminder also means that membership is an obligation to contribute both qualitatively and quantitatively to maritime safety and environmental protection at the global level, beyond prestige and revelry.
One and a half decades ago, Nigeria was a bona fide member of the Council. Things went in the wrong direction, and the country lost its membership. Regaining that slot has taken this long, with all the valuable resources that went into the exercise to achieve the outcome being celebrated.
The Minister said: “We worked tirelessly, travelling across continents, building bridges, and reaffirming Nigeria’s readiness to take up this responsibility,” indicating that the feat didn’t come easy.
The Potential Maritime sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP remains colourless and tepid. Hardly any specific figure is assigned to the sector’s contribution to GDP on a quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly basis.
Estimates by industry experts, including the Nigerian Institution of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (NIMENA), show that the maritime sector could add a princely $44 billion to the country’s GDP yearly, if properly harnessed, highlighting its vast potential in shipping, ports, logistics, fisheries, and offshore oil services. Yet, Nigeria’s maritime sector currently contributes less than 15 per cent to the regional marine economy, despite its huge potential, with the gale of underperformance ascribed to inadequate infrastructure, policy gaps, and limited investment in the blue economy.
To be sure, ‘blue economy’ implies a sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation. On a global scale, it contributes more than $2.5 trillion annually and supports more than 350 million jobs.
Analysts maintain that Nigeria’s share is relatively small given its coastline size, population, and trade volume. The case had been made that it is fallacious that the maritime industry contributes insignificantly to Nigeria’s GDP, as it facilitates the bulk of the nation’s international trade.
The narrative of such dismal contribution, therefore, suggests that maritime in the country requires more urgent, shrewd, and meticulous attention. Need for Sustained Action Nigeria’s dawdling and wobbly performance matters in many ways.
First, the country is a known trade gateway, with its ports handling a substantial proportion of West Africa’s imports and exports, making maritime logistics essential to regional commerce. Second, oil revenues are fluctuating, and marine activities offer a pathway to diversify the country’s economy and revenue base.
Third, dilating the sector holds great potential to create thousands of jobs in shipping, port operations, shipbuilding, and fisheries, and the country’s recent re-election to the IMO’s Council underscores Nigeria’s burgeoning role in global shipping governance. As it treasures its triumphant re-entry into IMO’s Category C Council of prestige, analysts say the country needs to keep its eyes on the best ways to unlock the $44 billion potential contribution to its GDP and the lush opportunities this offers.
How this pans out must be adeptly crafted and vigorously implemented by the country. The steps may not be taken at the speed of light, but also obviously not at the speed of a blind snail. Financing and modernizing port infrastructure, streamlining regulation to attract foreign investment, and training skilled manpower in marine engineering, logistics, and naval architecture remain central to achieving this, according to experts. They also cite digitalization of port operations and improved maritime security as vital determinants in the solutions matrix to give better shape to the marine and blue economy sector.
Time to Roll Up the Sleeves With the country’s maritime sector’s modest annual contribution to GDP, what could be the path to the $44 billion potential staring it in the face? Sure, it is a big number. It is equally a big promise of self-esteem in jobs, self-satisfaction in world-class ports, and the country claiming its ocean uniqueness with discipline.
But that is if, and only if, policy is perfected, and regulation tenaciously enforced. The potential may be real, but experts say unlocking it requires unrelenting implementation, sparkling governance, and choosing rule over interference.
Beyond the celebrations, the country needs to modernize Lagos, Onne, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Calabar into efficient, digital gateways, if any meaningful impact is to be made. It must also target a 30- 40 per cent reduction in dwell time. In addition, experts suggest a full port community system and single window, 24/7 operations, and trusted operator PPPs.
Furthermore, there is an overarching need to make the country’s coastal trade fast, safe, and reliable, with the target of enforcing carbotage via smart compliance, accelerated domestic fleet financing, and standardizing coastal schedules for oil, gas, containers, and agro-exports.
Views by Experts Would that be all? Not at all. The opportunities in the marine and blue economy seem endless. Nigeria, therefore, needs to develop clusters for maintenance, fueling, and offshore support to harness opportunities in ship repair, bunkering, and marine services.
Experts recommend fully certified dry-dock facilities, regulated bunkering corridors, and integrated offshore logistics hubs. Fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, and ocean energy are identified as drivers of blue economy growth, suggesting this is the direction to build momentum if the country genuinely intends to claw back and unlock the plush opportunities.
In unison, analysts say the target on this should be Marine Stewardship Council, MSC-certified fisheries, cold-chain investments, seaside harbors, and pilot tidal/wave projects where they are viable. In addition, they recommend nimble radical steps to make Nigerian waters predictable, safe, and compliant.
The nub of the matter? With the Category C Council membership of the International Maritime Organization under its belt, experts are firm in their view that Nigeria, rather than more promises, now needs more proof to ensure that the $44 billion stops being a mere headline but becomes a habit to pick the levers that move tonnage, time, and trust.
The time has come to publish transparent data, reward performance, and enforce without ado and drama. Martins Azuwike is an Economist, a member of the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria (GPAAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and a multiple award-winning journalist.
