NIGERIA’S EXTENDED CONTINENTAL SHELF: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE BLUE ECONOMY PROJECT

Under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, 1982, a coastal State may make submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for extension of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles where the natural prolongation of its shelf exceeds the 200-mile limit. In 2009, Nigeria made submissions to the Commission for an extended continental shelf. Finding Nigeria’s submissions meritorious, in December 2023, the Commission made recommendations for the extension of Nigeria’s continental shelf from 200 nautical miles to 220 nautical miles. The 20-mile extension is remarkable because the extended shelf area lies in the part of the Gulf of Guinea referred to as the ‘Golden Triangle’, golden because of its richness in petroleum and other mineral resources. Using the doctrinal research methodology, this paper explores the development of the extended continental shelf regime in the law of the sea and examines the resource potentials of the submarine area extended for Nigeria. It also examines the rights of Nigeria in the extended area, as well as the challenges likely to be encountered in the development of this shelf area located in deep waters. The paper concludes that the extended continental shelf area has the potential to immensely impact positively on the re-invigorated Nigerian blue economy. It also makes recommendations for the development and optimal utilisation of the resources of the extended shelf.