Waterways Infrastructure Critical to Fisheries Growth, Coastal Livelihoods — LASWA  MD, Emmanuel 

By Feyisola Adeyeha

The General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) , Oluwadamilola Emmanuel has said Nigeria must begin to view its inland waterways not only as transportation corridors but as critical economic infrastructure capable of strengthening fisheries, food security and livelihoods in coastal and riverine communities.

 

Emmanuel who is also the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Blue Economy, stated this on Wednesday at the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) Conference on Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria.

 

Emmanuel, who was represented  by the Head of Operations, LASWA, Ibrahim Oladayo, spoke on the theme, “Unlocking the Potential of Inland Waterways for Sustainable Fisheries and Coastal Livelihoods.”

 

He said the economic potential of Nigeria’s waterways goes far beyond passenger transportation, stressing that efficient waterways can connect fishing communities with markets, reduce logistics costs, improve access to fishing grounds and support the wider fisheries value chain.

 

According to him, while the conversation around inland waterways in Lagos has traditionally focused on passenger movement, the state’s experience shows that waterways can serve as broader economic corridors connecting producers, traders and consumers.

 

“A waterway is not merely a wet highway across which boats slide. It is connective economic infrastructure. It links isolated riverine settlements to central commercial corridors, bridges producers to urban consumers and gives local enterprise direct access to high-value markets,” he said.

 

He explained that the condition of waterways directly affects the livelihoods of fishermen and fish farmers, from access to fishing grounds and the movement of feeds and equipment to the transportation of fresh catches to urban markets.

 

Emmanuel said Lagos has already established a structured commercial waterways system, with more than 30 active commercial ferry routes, over 520 certified commercial watercraft, 28 operational jetties and modern terminals, as well as 10 Waterways Monitoring and Data Management Centre surveillance hubs.

 

He added that the water transport sector currently supports an estimated 10,120 direct and indirect livelihoods in Lagos, including boat captains, deckhands, terminal workers, marine engineers, boat builders, fuel suppliers, ticket vendors, beach masters and other small businesses operating around waterfronts.

 

“These are not decorative infrastructure assets; they are the living backbone of an active local economy,” he said.

 

The LASWA boss noted that the experience has demonstrated that a properly regulated and functioning waterway inevitably creates clusters of economic activity around it, adding that the next step should be to deliberately leverage such infrastructure to support fisheries and other water-dependent industries.

 

He identified Epe, Ikorodu and Badagry as longstanding centres of fishing, aquaculture and seafood trade in Lagos, noting that the communities depend heavily on the waterways for their economic activities.

 

Emmanuel said LASWA’s responsibility is not to regulate fisheries or operate commercial fishing businesses but to ensure that the waterways remain safe, navigable and secure for the communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

 

He noted that fishermen need safe access through navigable channels, fish farmers required efficient transportation of fingerlings, feed and equipment, while traders and processors need reliable links to markets to prevent losses arising from delays and poor transportation.

 

Using Epe as an example, he said the economic value of fish harvested in the area depends not only on production but also on how efficiently it could be transported from the point of harvest to consumers.

 

“Harvesting that fish is only the opening scene,” he said, noting that access to landing jetties, cold storage, transportation, equipment and urban markets all played a role in determining the final commercial value of the product.

 

He also cited the experience of Ofin in Ikorodu, where a community bridge constructed through a FADAMA intervention reportedly contributs to a significant improvement in local fish-farming activities.

 

According to him, the development demonstrates that infrastructure outside a fish pond can have a direct impact on fisheries productivity and profitability.

 

“That experience proves a fundamental rule of the Blue Economy: often, the most powerful infrastructure intervention for fisheries lies completely outside the fish pond,” he said.

 

He therefore called for closer integration between fisheries policy and transport planning, arguing that navigable channels, bridges, jetties, cold-storage facilities and safe boat connections can determine whether fisheries businesses flourish or fail.

 

Emmanuel also advocated a new approach to waterfront infrastructure, where appropriate facilities can serve as integrated economic hubs combining passenger mobility with regulated fish-landing areas, cold storage, repair workshops, processing facilities and waterfront markets.

 

He stressed, however, that such developments must be carefully planned to prevent passenger terminals from becoming congested or unsafe.

 

The LASWA boss further emphasised the importance of safety, describing it as a critical component of economic infrastructure.

 

He said waterways that are perceived as dangerous, poorly monitored or inadequately regulated would struggle to attract private investment or sustain reliable economic activity.

 

He listed 24-hour waterway surveillance, marine-guard deployments, search-and-rescue operations, vessel seaworthiness inspections, life-jacket enforcement and continuous data gathering among the measures required to create confidence in water-based economic activities.

 

According to him, LASWA’s Waterways Monitoring and Data Management Centre has expanded surveillance capabilities through high-definition radar, Automatic Identification System tracking and camera coverage across key waterways.

 

He said improved safety and monitoring would help create the confidence required for investment, insurance and sustainable livelihoods.

 

Emmanuel also highlighted the Omi Eko Project as an example of the scale of investment required to transform Lagos waterways into long-term public economic infrastructure.

 

He said the project, being implemented by LASWA with international development financing, is backed by a €410 million Team Europe financing package comprising €170 million from the European Investment Bank, €130 million from Agence Française de Développement and a €60 million European Union investment grant.

 

The project includes 15 structured commercial ferry routes covering about 140 kilometres, 25 upgraded, expanded and climate-resilient ferry terminals and a fleet of 75 electric mass-transit vessels, each capable of carrying up to 440 passengers.

 

Emmanuel said the project aims to increase the share of waterborne commuting in Lagos from less than one per cent to nearly eight per cent by 2032 while reconnecting underserved waterfront communities.

 

Although Omi Eko is primarily a mass-transit project and not a fisheries programme, he said its wider impact could extend across the Blue Economy by improving navigability, surveillance, shoreline infrastructure and connectivity.

 

“When you dredge channels, deploy smart surveillance, upgrade shoreline terminals, introduce zero-emission electric craft and link remote waterfronts to commercial city centres, you redefine the economic geography of the entire aquatic basin,” he said.

 

He added that infrastructure developed for water transportation can create opportunities for other economic activities, while cleaner vessels can help reduce pollution in sensitive aquatic environments.

 

Emmanuel also stressed the need to ensure that communities living along waterways remain central beneficiaries of infrastructure development.

 

He said coastal and riverine communities are homes to generations of fishermen, fish processors, traders, boat mechanics and young people seeking sustainable employment, adding that infrastructure development must connect rather than bypass them.

 

 

 

According to him, authorities must have accurate information on navigational bottlenecks, fish-landing locations, cold-chain gaps, communities affected by tidal changes and areas where new infrastructure would generate the greatest socio-economic impact.

 

“We cannot sustainably develop what we do not systematically map, monitor and measure,” he said.

 

According to him, Nigeria needs to treat inland waterways as core economic infrastructure by keeping them navigable and secure, connecting riverine communities to urban markets, harmonising inter-agency oversight, using reliable data and deliberately linking water development to agriculture and fisheries value chains.

 

“Whether the primary opportunity in a given basin is mass transit, artisanal fishing, commercial aquaculture or eco-tourism—or an integrated mix of all four—they all depend on the exact same body of water,” he said.

 

Emmanuel urged stakeholders to build waterways capable of doing more than moving passengers, stressing that they should connect fishermen to markets, strengthen food security, support small businesses, attract private investment and create employment for women and young people.

 

“The future of Nigeria’s fisheries is inseparable from the future of our inland waterways,” he said.

 

He welcomed continued scrutiny and collaboration from MARCON, regulators and private-sector stakeholders in developing Nigeria’s waterways and unlocking their potential for sustainable economic growth.