Kenya’s coastal region is set to benefit from a Sh3.23 billion inclusive and sustainable economic boost with a focus on job creation and employment for young people and women. – By Ramadhan Kambi.
The European Union (EU) and the Government of Kenya have launched the Go Blue programme to be implemented in the coastal counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu, and Taita Taveta.
The county based coastal government initiative Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP) will be instrumental in the good execution of the programme, which combines job creation with integrated sea-land planning and management in coastal urban centres and their marine environment.
In a statement JKP said the programme also seeks to enhance maritime governance through effective law enforcement and is part of Kenya’s Blue Economy agenda.
Go Blue is being implemented over a four-year period (January 2021 – December 2024) across all six counties in the Coastal Region of Kenya.
The EU is working with implementing partners from four Member States agencies that include Germany, Italy, Portugal and France. It is also working with other two UN agencies that include UN Habitat and UN Environmental Programme (UNEP).
EU Deputy Ambassador to Kenya, Katrin Hagemann said Kenya’s coast is a precious ecosystem that has a huge potential to unlock opportunities for the country’s sustainable development.
“Go Blue aims at strengthening inclusive blue economy value chains, creating wealth and transforming the lives of not just the people living in the coastal areas, but those of other Kenyans as well. I believe that Go Blue will help to show how integrative solutions to economic, environmental and social development can be found,” the envoy said.
A Chairman of Lamu Beach Management Unit (BMU) based in Shela Mr Mohammed Idarus said due to climate change, traditional fishing can no longer sustain their livelihoods and that any support towards empowering them is welcome.
“In our Beach Management Units we provide training to work together with women and youth on putting in place new ocean-based value chains by keeping our culture and preserving the coastal waters.
We welcome the Go Blue programme to work with us on long lasting solutions,” he added.
The Go Blue launch comes two years after Kenya hosted a high-level conference on Sustainable Blue Economy conference which took place in Nairobi in November 2018. The ministerial conference provided a forum to advance the global conversation on the sustainable development of the Blue Economy. JKP CEO Emmanuel Nzai said securing the Sh3.2 Billion Go Blue Project is a testimony that structured cooperation of regional counties and communities sharing resources, and partnership with the world works.
“Go Blue will change the story of more than 3,000 coastals and align Jumuiya counties, national government and development partners’ priorities for the people of the six counties,” he said.
Mr Nzai further added that development and implementation of the initiative in the next four years is aligned with the six counties’ County Integrated Plans (CIDPs), the Jumuiya 2030 regional blueprint, and the Kenya Vision 2030 long-term national transformation policy framework.
“Go Blue is under the Blue Economy umbrella, which focuses on the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem. Go Blue aspires to kick-start the potential of this region by removing the bottlenecks that hinder its growth and revive the economic growth of the Coastal Region of Kenya,” he said.
The CEO further added that through the Go Blue framework, the coastal counties have identified key people-driven initiatives that will have a high impact on the region’s development.
“Key sectors of focus across all the six counties include fisheries and aquaculture, maritime security, culture and tourism, spatial land-sea planning and environmental conservation,” he added.
