Italian Ambassador to Kenya Alberto Pieri has announced that the Italian government has committed to funding key blue economy and infrastructural projects worth over Sh.780 million in the Coast region.
Among the beneficial projects are the tarmacking of the Mjanaheri Ngomeni road that links Malindi to the Italian space agency, construction of schools, dispensaries and key blue economy projects most of which will be done in Kilifi county.
Last weekend, Malindi town hosted the 2021 Annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the World held at Plan group of hotels Dreams of Africa.
Ambassador Pieri who was the chief guest said they are currently in the final face of signing an agreement with the Kenyan government so as to enable the funds to be released to kickstart the projects.
"We presented projects that focus on the Blue economy which will help the community of fishermen and in general the sector which is related to the sea but we have a lot of other projects in the Coast," he said.
The Ambassador said his government has prospected future projects and was very close to signing an agreement for a new important program that will encompass infrastructure and education.
He said they talked to Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi on the projects about the relevance of their continued partnership with the coast future project.
He also thanked the ongoing vaccination exercise by the government he said will help in the recovery of the tourism sector. He said because of that move, many tourists and investors will come back to Kilifi County and in the wake, boost the tourism recovery efforts.
“Our message is that Kenya is the perfect destination we have to increase the efforts particularly by the government we have to prepare the ground for facilitation the removal of the restrictions," he said
Governor Kingi who also present said the Italian government has traditionally stood with Kilifi in undertaking mutually beneficial ventures; providing grants for infrastructural development, investment, tourism, and harnessing the potential in the blue economy sector.
He appealed to the Treasury Cabinet Secretary to ensure he speeds up the signing of the agreement so as to enable the projects to kick off.
The Governor said the Ngomeni road was one of the key infrastructure developments that will not only help the locals but even workers of the Italian space agency once the road is tarmacked.
"There was a program that was running in a number of years it expired but that agreement has since been renewed by the foreign affairs Ministry, it's a program that the Italian government is rolling out an integrated development plan building schools, dispensaries, one of the projects is tarmacking of Lamu Ngomeni road," he said.
Mr Kingi said currently the county was trying to recover from the period of lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic and guests have begun to come.
he said the campaign for mass vaccination will give confidence to tourists planning to visit Kenya to come.
"We are partnering with the hotels just to release their workers because these are because they are the ones that come into direct contact with our guests, ours is to make sure all hotel workers in Kilifi county are vaccinated," he said.
Paolo Damato from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation program officer said in January they started the EU Funded project and were working with Beach Management units including Uyombo beach BMU, Mtwapa Copa Kabana, and Mastangoni smallholder farmers in order to boost the economic growth of the coastal area.
he said they put the BMUs to be leaders of economic and social change of the coastal area and the communities through different interventions such as training, quality of the products to get value for the producers and stakeholders of the value chain.
"That's what we are trying to do to put all the fishermen and stakeholders of Beach Management Unit at the center of the processes of change of the Coastal communities," he said.
