This month Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has said his government will invest in the blue economy which, has been identified as a priority sector under the Vision 2030 development agenda.
The East African nation’s focus on the blue economy is centered on fisheries and aquaculture, ocean renewable energy, offshore oil and gas exploration, coastal and cruise tourism, deep and short sea shipping, blue biotechnology, extractives, and marine aquatic products. The President stressed that Kenya has banned the use of polythene carrier bags from 2017 and has now implemented a ban on single-use plastics in all protected areas, including beaches, national parks, conservation parks, and forests. Kenyatta also said how the government is engaging concretely with local communities to conserve coastal ecosystems.
On the sidelines of the presidential statements, Samson Mwathethe who heads the National Blue Economy Committee has also intervened, saying that Kenya is making steady progress with immense economic benefits presented by the sector. Mwathethe called on the private sector to work with the government to revive the sector. Kenya organized the world conference on the blue economy in 2018, as well as, the other coastal states of the African continent have understood the fundamental importance and potential offered by the blue economy sector with a view to its sustainable development.
(Source: Xinhuanet)