The Maritime Correspondents Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) is set to bring together maritime journalists, policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders to examine Nigeria’s foreign trade structure and the maritime sector’s contribution to the country’s ambition of building a $1 trillion productive economy.
The three-day 2026 All Nigerian Maritime Journalists Retreat, scheduled for December 2–4, will focus on strategies for transitioning Nigeria’s economy from dependence on the extraction and export of raw commodities to one driven by local production, value addition, industrialisation and competitive exports.
The main event, holding on December 3 at De Marii Hotel FZE, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, is themed, “From Extraction to Exchange: Recalibrating Nigeria’s Foreign Trade to Realise President Tinubu’s $1 Trillion Productive Economy”.
Discussions at the retreat will examine how efficient ports, shipping services, marine logistics, cargo handling, trade facilitation and investment in critical infrastructure can support domestic production and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in international markets.
The Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is expected to address the development of Nigeria’s blue economy value chains to drive local production and export growth, while the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) will examine strategies for transforming Nigerian ports to improve trade efficiency and global export competitiveness.
Similarly, the Managing Director of SIFAX Inland Container Terminal Limited, Mr Paul Linden, is expected to discuss the integration of port, inland container terminal and logistics operations to strengthen the country’s export competitiveness.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, is also expected to address the role of customs administration beyond revenue collection, particularly in facilitating trade, strengthening export competitiveness and supporting industrial growth.
The National Single Window Secretariat will examine how digitalisation, streamlined documentation and improved coordination among government agencies can enhance Nigeria’s foreign trade processes and support the transition to a $1 trillion productive economy.
A special feature of the retreat will be a Meet the Maritime Press Session with Dangote Industries Limited, which is expected to provide insights into the Group’s maritime operations, including port operations, shipping, cargo handling and marine logistics supporting its industrial and commercial activities.
The engagement follows MARCON’s recent tour of the Dangote Refinery, fertiliser plant and other facilities within the Group’s industrial complex. The company also participated in the previous edition of the retreat, where its President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, received the MARCON Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other proposed presentations will examine the contribution of agriculture, food security, tourism and the creative economy to Nigeria’s productive economy.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is expected to speak on food security as a foundation for productive growth and sustainable development, while the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy will examine ways of developing Nigeria’s tourism value chain to attract investment and promote local enterprise.
Other institutions expected to participate include the Federal Ministries of Finance; Industry, Trade and Investment; the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL); Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC); Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS); National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC); and the Nigerian Navy.
The retreat will also examine the contribution of the oil and gas industry and the private sector to industrial development, as well as the importance of investment, effective trade policies and infrastructure in expanding Nigeria’s export capacity.
Speaking on the objectives of the gathering, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Paul Ogbuokiri, said the retreat was designed to provide a platform for critical discussions on Nigeria’s foreign trade priorities and the maritime industry’s contribution to the country’s economic ambitions.
He said achieving the transition from extraction to exchange would require deliberate policies and investments to strengthen local production, encourage value addition and improve the country’s export capacity.
“Achieving a $1 trillion productive economy requires more than setting an ambitious target. It calls for a fundamental rethink of how we produce, move, process and trade goods.
“The maritime sector is at the heart of this process because the competitiveness of our ports, shipping and logistics systems has a direct bearing on the cost of doing business, the attractiveness of investment and the ability of Nigerian products to compete in international markets,” Ogbuokiri said.
The annual All Nigerian Maritime Journalists Retreat provides a platform for professional engagement, knowledge exchange and interaction between the media and stakeholders across the maritime, shipping, transport, trade and logistics sectors.
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