News Investigators/ Worldfish Nigeria and Indian Council of Agricultural Research have agreed to partner to tackle Nigeria’s shortage in fish supply and lift people out of poverty.
The WorldFish Nigeria Country representative, Dr Charles Iyangbe while speaking at the India-Nigeria Roundtable on Aquacultute and Fisheries on Friday in Ibadan, said the collaboration would help both countries to learn from one another and transform their aquaculture sector.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by WorldFish Nigeria and was attended by policymakers, researchers, industry leaders and practitioners from India and Nigeria.
Iyangbe said that Nigeria was currently producing 3.6 metric tonnes of fish which was far below the needs of the people considering Nigeria’s population and demand.
He attributed the shortage to inadequate technology and innovation in areas of aquaculture in Nigeria and said that was what the organisation hoped to learn from India, which had about 6,000 scientists working on areas of aquaculture.
“Today, it costs the Nigerian government about 1.2 bn dollars annually to import fish into Nigeria and this is not acceptable, that is not what we’re supposed to be doing.
“We should be able to feed ourselves considering the enormous aquatic resources in Nigeria.
“We are going to learn emerging technology from India and they will also learn from us and by that we should be able to develop new innovations that is adaptable to the Nigeria context and as well address the shortage,” he said.
Iyangbe said that WorldFish Nigeria was committed to supporting Nigeria’s government, private sector, and farming communities in closing the gap between rising fish demand and local supply.
He said the collaboration would not only shape Nigeria’s aquaculture future, but also position both countries as leaders in South–South cooperation in food security.
According to Iyangbe, aquaculture is more than fish. It is about people; about ensuring that rural farmers earn a decent living, that children have access to affordable and nutritious food, that women are empowered as entrepreneurs, and that our ecosystems are safeguarded for generations to come.
“Let us commit ourselves to a partnership built on trust, innovation, and shared prosperity. Together, India and Nigeria can demonstrate how aquaculture can be a powerful tool for poverty reduction, food system transformation, and climate resilience,” he said.
Also speaking, Deputy Director General Fisheries, Science, India Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Joykrushna Jena, said Nigeria and India have a lot to learn from one another in area of aquaculture.
Jena said that India had worked on several fish species which could be useful to other countries in areas of information sharing, human resources exchange and capacity building.
He said that no country was an island of knowledge and therefore a need for collaboration between country’s to share and exchange fast growing technology and development.
Also, Hussein Gadain, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative in Nigeria, said the organisation was keen to foster dialogue between public and private sectors to unlock investment in youth-led aquaculture enterprises.
Gadain, represented by Usman Abubakar, said that the objective would not be possible without collaboration, coordination, and partnership.
He said that aquaculture has its challenges, which are limited access to financing, high feed costs, and environmental sustainability issues that must be confronted head-on. (NAN)
