This article discusses government policy in fisheries administration as it relates to Nigeria. Government policy defines the necessary course of action to guide the government’s affairs in a particular sector of the economy.
This article defines policy, discusses Nigeria’s fisheries policy and the objectives it aims to achieve, the strategies adopted for achieving the fisheries policies, and the problems of fisheries policy in Nigeria.
Definition of Policy
Policy is defined as a course of action proposed or adopted by those with responsibility for a given area (in government) and expressed as formal statements or positions (e.g., the 1992 Nigeria Fisheries Decree, Sutton, 1999).
It is also described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. Policy may also be the process of making important organisational decisions, including identifying alternatives such as programmes or priorities and choosing them based on the impacts they have.
Nigeria’s Fisheries Policy
The major policy goal of the Federal Government is to ensure the sustainable development of Nigerian fisheries for national food security, self-sufficiency in fish production, optimum resource utilisation and conservation, employment generation, wealth creation, poverty alleviation, and a reduction in rural-urban migration in line with the National Economic and Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Initiatives (Federal Department of Fisheries, 2005; Federal Government of Nigeria/Agenda 21).
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Specific Objectives of Nigeria’s Fisheries Policy
- Achievement of self-sufficiency in fish production and utilisation.
- Development and modernisation of means of production, processing, storage, marketing, and resource conservation.
- Promotion of the export of shrimp and fish products as a means of earning foreign exchange from the non-oil sector.
- Improvement of the quality of life in fishing villages.
- Provision and improvement of employment opportunities in rural fishing communities, reducing rural-urban drift, crime, and criminality.
- Acceleration of research and technology dissemination and adoption in all aspects of fisheries.
- Ensuring rational exploitation of the nation’s marine fisheries resources.
- Human capacity development through the improvement and development of training institutions and facilities.
- Promotion of fisheries curricula in institutions of higher learning.
- Encouragement of private entrepreneurship in all aspects of fisheries.
- Ensuring total compliance with FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
- Conservation of fisheries resources for sustainable exploitation.
- Improvement of technology application in artisanal and industrial fisheries to promote sub-sector growth.
- Promotion of aquaculture.
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Strategies Adopted for the Achievement of the Fisheries Policies
The strategies adopted to achieve the Federal Government of Nigeria’s policy objectives include:
- The provision and maintenance of infrastructure such as jetties and fishing terminals for fish landing, storage, and processing.
- Provision of extension services to farmers.
- Monitoring and surveillance of the nation’s water bodies, fishing terminals, and other landing sites.
- Manpower development to manage the sub-sector.
- Restocking bodies of water with fast-growing fish species.
- Involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process, creation of environmental awareness through public enlightenment and education.
- Promotion of information exchange among stakeholders.
- Instituting participatory procedures that allow all stakeholders to partake in decision-making on the location, processes, and products of projects (Federal Government of Nigeria, 1997).
Problems of Fisheries Policy in Nigeria
Several challenges hinder the success of fisheries policies in Nigeria, including:
- A top-down approach monopolised by government agencies and institutions rather than a bottom-up approach where end-users of decisions should participate in decision-making.
- Poor and weak government economic, political, and institutional capacities make it difficult to execute and monitor decisions.
- Lack of adequate or relevant data, leading to a policy process that depends on a narrow information base or inadequate knowledge.
- Lack of adequate logistical support such as funding to involve more stakeholders in the policy-making process.
- Incomplete development narratives and strategies or narrow or ill-defined policy narratives.
- Under-valued fisheries.
- Lack of stakeholder recognition and utilisation of non-formal institutions.
- Limitations in national policy-making and implementation processes.
- Low level of participation by the available spectrum of stakeholders in policy and decision-making.
- Absence or weakness of interconnections between local and national levels of authority (Neiland et al., 2002; Ovie & Raji, 2006).
The government’s policy provides direction for action in the fisheries sub-sector of agriculture. This article has discussed that the major policy goal of the Federal Government is to ensure sustainable development of Nigerian fisheries for national food security, self-sufficiency in fish production, optimal resource utilisation and conservation, employment generation, wealth creation, and poverty alleviation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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