Uche Cecil Izuora
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has unveiled the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme ,NIMASA-BEAP, and the National Innovation Hackathon.
The strategic initiative is specifically designed to attract young innovators into Nigeria’s marine and blue economy industry, stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, and attract private-sector investment into the sector.
The accelerator programme and innovation hackathon are expected to provide a structured platform for young Nigerians and innovative enterprises to develop solutions to some of the challenges and opportunities across Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy value chain.
In his welcome remarks, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, described the initiative as a national development imperative aimed at positioning Nigeria to derive greater economic value from its maritime resources.
According to him, the scale of Nigeria’s maritime economy presents a significant opportunity for economic diversification, job creation, innovation and increased participation of Nigerians in maritime value chain.
“Nigeria’s maritime economy is a multi-billion naira frontier we have left largely untapped. We capture less than three percent of the value moving through our own waters. NIMASA-BEAP exists to correct that historic imbalance,” Dr. Mobereola stated.
He challenged young innovators and entrepreneurs to “Lead this frontier. Do not follow it” and see the maritime sector not merely as an industry, but as a frontier for innovation, investment and national economic transformation.
Delivering the keynote address, the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola CON commended NIMASA for the bold initiative saying it represents a paradigm shift from only regulating to engendering the implementation of the blue economy for the benefit of Nigeria.
According to the Minister, “I want to commend, the Director-General and CEO of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, and NIMASA’s Executive Management Team, for the vision and institutional boldness this programme represents.
This is not a routine government initiative. This is a paradigm shift — from NIMASA as a regulator, to NIMASA as a catalyst. The NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator sets a standard that I am proud, as Minister, to champion before this audience”.
Represented by the Director, Marine Conservation and Innovation, Mr Shettima Hussein Shehu, the minister urged stakeholders including commercial banks, development finance partners and maritime stakeholders to key into the initiative by investing, mentoring and partnering with NIMASA to advance the blue economy sector.
Participants at the event took turns to commend NIMASA for the novel initiative of NIMASA-BEAP and pledged their commitment to partner with the Agency to ensure its full realisation. Representatives of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, First Bank, Zenith Bank, Fidelity Bank, Wema Bank, Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Tamrose Limited, Petromarine Limited and Starzs Investment Limited were among those who committed to partner with NIMASA to drive the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme.
The programme, which has been designed with clear timelines, responsibilities and accountability mechanisms to ensure effective delivery will open to young innovators aged from 18 to 28 on October 5, 2026 when the NIMASA-BEAP application portal goes live. Applications will close on November 13 2026, while independent evaluation and due diligence will take place from 16 November to 2 December 2026.
The National Innovation Hackathon is scheduled for 8–10 December 2026, after which successful participants will proceed into the 12-week Accelerator Programme in the first quarter of 2027. The programme will culminate in a National Demo Day in the second quarter of 2027, where participating ventures will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions and businesses to investors, industry stakeholders and other partners.