KEY POINTS

• NIWA has launched a clean-up programme to tackle pollution on Nigeria’s inland waterways.
• Parts Central Limited will provide oversight and implementation support for the project.
• The initiative aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda for the marine and blue economy.

The National Inland Waterways Authority has intensified efforts to unlock the economic potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways, launching a comprehensive clean-up programme to tackle pollution, enhance navigation safety and attract investment into the blue economy. To drive the initiative, NIWA mandated Parts Central Limited to provide strategic oversight and implementation support.

A drive to restore the waterways

According to stakeholders, the project marks a major step toward restoring environmental sustainability across the country’s inland waterways. NIWA initiated the programme during the tenure of its immediate past Managing Director, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, and it targets longstanding problems such as indiscriminate waste disposal, oil spillage and environmental degradation that have hindered the optimal use of the waterways.

Speaking on the project, the Managing Director of Parts Central Limited, Henry Onifade, said the programme would proceed professionally to deliver lasting environmental and economic benefits. According to him, the initiative represents a landmark intervention that will produce measurable results through transparency, sustainability and stakeholder collaboration. “This project goes beyond environmental sanitation. It is about creating cleaner, safer and more productive waterways that can support commerce, transportation, fisheries, tourism and investment,” he said.

Cleaner water, wider opportunity

Furthermore, Onifade said the programme would identify major sources of pollution, drive systematic waste evacuation and promote waste-to-wealth schemes that can create jobs for communities along the waterways. Moreover, he noted that better waterway conditions would improve navigation safety by clearing debris and other obstacles that impede vessels.

According to him, the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the marine and blue economy. Consequently, he said it would strengthen aquatic resource conservation, improve the fisheries value chain and stimulate economic activity across coastal and riverine communities.

Ultimately, industry stakeholders believe cleaner waterways will make Nigeria’s inland water transport more attractive, encourage local and foreign investment, and boost tourism and commerce. By tackling pollution while it courts investors, NIWA framed the clean-up as both an environmental fix and an economic opportunity, one that could unlock significant value within the country’s emerging blue economy if the agency sustains the momentum.