Nigeria is targeting about 12 billion dollars annual revenue from chart validation, distribution and revenue management for international shipping clients by tapping into the 90 billion dollars global market for Electronic Navigational Chart.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made this known at the World Hydrography Day 2025 and West African Hydrographic Summit with the theme, “Seabed Mapping -Enabling Ocean Action”, on Saturday in Abuja.
He said the Federal Government had established the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts West Africa Regional Office and Training Centre.
He pledged Nigeria’s support for hydrographic capacity building, investment in technology, and stronger regional ties to ensure that no part of Nigerian waters remains uncharted, unsafe, or unsustainable.
According to him, sustainable development, especially in the nation’s coastal and riverine communities, depends on how well we understand and manage our marine environment.
“It is on this note that I announce the formal establishment of the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts West Africa Regional Office & Training Centre to be hosted by the National Hydrographic Agency here in Abuja.
“By this strategic partnership, the National Hydrographic Agency of Nigeria has joined four other global regional offices in the US, UK, Australia and Brazil.
“This move positions Nigeria to tap into the 90 million dollar global market for Electronic Navigational Charts, potentially generating between 9 million and 12 million dollars in annual revenue from chart validation, distribution, and revenue management for international shipping clients,” he said.
The minister noted that seabed mapping was no longer a technical luxury but a strategic imperative where cables connect our digital world, pipelines fuel our industries, and biodiversity sustains the nation’s ecosystems.
He said in spite of its central role to modern society, it remained uncharted, unknown, and therefore unprotected.
According to him, the data that hydrographers gather beneath the nation’s waters enables safe navigation, marine spatial planning, climate science, coastal defence, and blue economy development.
He commended the National Hydrographic Agency for work being done since its establishment in 2021.