Nigeria spends $1.2b yearly to bridge fish deficit

Innovate UK KTN has said Nigeria spends $1.2billion yearly to bridge the country’s 1.9million metric tons of fish demand.

The organisation said the 1.07 million metric tons of fish produced by the country is not enough to meet the 2.97 million metric tons demand annually.

The Global Alliance Africa’s Knowledge Transfer Manager for Nigeria, Joshua Adedeji, said this in a statement on yesterday in Abuja, stating the efforts of the company to address the deficit in the production and supply of fish in the country.

He said Innovate UK KTN, through its Global Alliance Africa project, has undertaken steps aimed at harnessing the immense socio-economic potential of the aquaculture sector in Ekiti State.

Adedeji said at the state level, there was still a huge deficit of supply of fish, as local fish production sustained less than one per cent or 200 metric tons of the region’s total demand of 26,825 metric tons.

He said through engaging with players from across the aquaculture supply and value chains, Ekiti State would be able to unlock the socio-economic potential of the aquaculture sector.

The Africa Lead for Global Alliance Africa, Sophie West, reinforced the project’s commitment to making Ekiti State a beacon of innovation by creating new opportunities to transfer knowledge, technology and expertise between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

The Global Alliance Africa project is a six-year project funded by UK Aid through Innovate UK (GCRF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).