President Tinubu calls for prompt ratification of ocean biodiversity treaty and urges increased funding for Nigeria’s blue economy at UN Ocean Conference in France
President Bola Tinubu has called on the global community to promptly ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and significantly increase funding for blue economy initiatives, particularly in developing nations.
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Addressing the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, Tinubu stressed that global action is urgently needed to secure ocean health and sustainability.
Speaking through the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, Tinubu urged the world’s political and investment leaders to treat oceans as a priority and intensify efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14.
He highlighted the oceans’ role in food security, employment, and climate stability, warning that inaction would carry devastating long-term consequences.
Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the AU Agenda 2063 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
He stated that Nigeria had already signed the BBNJ Agreement and begun the ratification process.
The President emphasized that achieving the target of designating at least 30 percent of the global ocean as Marine Protected Areas by 2030 is only possible with unified political will and robust enforcement systems.
He noted Nigeria’s leadership in West Africa, including its role in crafting a proposal to designate a highly protected High Seas Marine Protected Area within the convergence zone of the Canary and Guinea Currents.
Nigeria also supports the adoption of the Nice Ocean Action Declaration and Plan, aligned with the conference’s theme of accelerating action.
Tinubu used the global stage to call on development partners and private investors to provide technical support and financing for blue economy projects.
We must act boldly and swiftly to save our oceans. The cost of inaction is too great for future generations to bear.
He underscored that meaningful progress in marine science, blue finance, and ocean-based industries would be impossible without global cooperation and increased funding commitments.
Among Nigeria’s domestic initiatives, Tinubu listed the National Blue Economy Policy, a national roadmap for the BBNJ treaty, a revised Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, and new policies on marine plastic pollution.
Nigeria has also expanded hydrographic surveys to improve maritime safety in the Gulf of Guinea.
The President pledged to fight transboundary threats such as illegal fishing and marine dumping, noting the need for improved ocean data, regional capacity-building, and sustainable resource management.
He insisted that the BBNJ Agreement must not only be ratified but backed with real political momentum and scientific guidance.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres echoed Nigeria’s concerns, warning that the world’s oceans are under extreme pressure due to overfishing, warming temperatures, acidification, and plastic pollution.
Nigeria’s delegation to the conference includes senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and other maritime and environmental agencies, all committed to shaping a sustainable ocean agenda.
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President Tinubu concluded by reaffirming Nigeria’s resolve to work with global partners to protect the oceans, saying every nation must act now to secure the future of marine biodiversity and the livelihoods tied to it.
