A maritime education expert, Professor Andrew Spencer, has urged Nigeria to anchor its blue economy strategy on what he described as the “Three Cs” — Capacity, Coherence and Collaboration, to ensure sustainable growth and national prosperity.
Spencer, who is the President of the Caribbean Maritime University, delivered the 9th Convocation Lecture of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, on Tuesday.
The lecture was titled “The Three Cs of a Sustainable Blue Economy: Capacity, Coherence, and Collaboration,” under the broader theme of strategies for developing Nigeria’s blue economy using lessons from the Caribbean.
The professor explained that while infrastructure such as ports, vessels and digital systems creates opportunities, they only deliver lasting value when backed by strong human capital.
He warned that countries that invest in physical assets without building local expertise risk becoming dependent on foreign operators.
Drawing from Caribbean experiences, Spencer noted that although port modernisation programmes improved cargo throughput and global integration, inadequate investment in indigenous skills meant that strategic operations and decision-making often remained in foreign hands.
He stressed that maritime universities and training institutions must be treated as national strategic assets.
On governance, the scholar highlighted the dangers of fragmented maritime administration.
According to him, ocean systems are naturally interconnected, but regulatory and enforcement structures are frequently siloed, weakening national control and limiting economic benefits.
He said policy alignment and institutional coordination were critical to safeguarding sovereignty.
He further cited the example of regional collaboration mechanisms within Caribbean states, noting that although dialogue platforms existed, the absence of unified operational systems for ocean management created regulatory gaps that external actors sometimes exploited.
Spencer also underscored the need to deliberately integrate small and medium-scale enterprises into maritime value chains.
Referencing Jamaica’s Special Economic Zones model, he said positioning local firms within logistics, fisheries, tourism and port services ensures that economic expansion translates into domestic wealth creation rather than external value retention.
Concluding, the maritime expert said Nigeria possesses the scale and institutional capacity to shape ocean governance in the Gulf of Guinea, but must decide early who owns, governs and benefits from its blue economy.
He maintained that nations that prioritise human capital, coherent governance and inclusive enterprise development secure not just growth, but resilience and leadership in an increasingly ocean-driven global economy.
0 Comments