Marine stakeholders meet in Kenya to share knowledge on blue economy

Mombasa, Tuesday June 13, 2023

KNA by Chari Suche

Different stakeholders from the Blue economy (BE) sectors have converged in Mombasa for a four-day knowledge and experience sharing fair in a bid to grow the sector and learn from each other.

The event which is organized by IGAD, the AU-IBAR and ECOFISH is meant to synergize and add value on knowledge the IGAD member states have on blue economy sector in a bid to build a better continent and make the Blue Economy a reality that supports livelihoods of the communities.

Speaking during the opening of the event IGAD Head of Mission to Kenya Dr. Fatuma Adan said that IGAD member states have a great Blue Economy (BE) potential that is underutilized.

Adan said the traditional sectors such as fisheries, tourism, mineral extraction and marine and river transport capacities while emerging sectors such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology and bio prospecting; desalination and renewable energy are currently lacking attention and require substantial attention in the future.

She noted that BE has a massive untapped potential and could be one of the largest contributors to a higher and faster Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in Kenya.

“For instance, innovation and growth in the coastal, marine and maritime sector, what we witness in places like Mombasa where we are, we could deliver food, energy, transport among other products and services and serve as a foundation for sustainable development in Kenya,” she said.

She said there is a need to document and disseminate the knowledge and experiences in different BE sectors so that the African continent can learn from each other and even from outside the continent.

“It is against this background that IGAD, AU-IBAR and the ECOFISH programme are joining forces to organize this blue economy knowledge share fair under the theme “leveraging blue economy through efficient small-scale fisheries management and aquatic biodiversity conservation to build the Africa we want,” she added.

Adan said the planned share fair will help strengthen the IGAD Secretariat’s knowledge management unit to ensure it is accessible to all member states and BE stakeholders.

She noted that the AU-IBAR and ECOFISH programme will benefit from the knowledge share fair in identifying and documenting knowledge, technology and innovations for future scale ups.

Council of Governors’ Chairman of the Blue Economy Issa Timamy called for collaboration and partnerships among countries in the region in ensuring they share resources and promote sustainable marine and coastal resources as well as embrace the common faced challenges.

Timamy said as governors they have a role to ensure they maximize on the sustainable use of the blue economy resources, make efforts and adopt strategies and transform them into opportunities.

“The focus is on developing and enhancing the counties’ capacities and resilience of the people who depend majorly on these resources. We in the region, have the potential to enhance our regional integration and conserve our biodiversity, we need to form strategic partnerships so as to maximize all forms of cooperation for sustainable development of the blue economy sector,” he said.

He said in order to enhance economic growth, there is a need to promote sustainable tourism, fishery and aquaculture among other activities to create jobs and generate income for our local communities.

He added that people should thrive to protect marine biodiversity by promoting sustainable practices that will reduce the impact of human activities on the ocean.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said that the county has a shared dedication to integrate economic development and environmental sustainability.

Nassir said that the county thrives on the wealth of its rivers and guarantees equitable access of the resources, and protects the integrity of its aquatic ecosystems from present and future generations.

“The blue economy carries with it extraordinary promises of untapped potentials waiting to be utilized. Small scale fisheries are a vital source of livelihood for the coastal communities providing nourishment, income and a sense of cultural identity,” he said.

He said the county has currently almost finalized converting all the beach management units into cooperatives.

Courtesy ; K. N. A