Staff Reporter
Mombasa, Kenya, November 10 – The East African Community (EAC) recognizes the significance of the blue economy as a pivotal sector for sustainable economic, social, and ecological development and growth. To fully unlock its potential, the EAC aims to establish a coherent and coordinated strategy and action plan aligned with the African Union’s strategy, the national priorities, and aspirations of its partner states, as well as other overlapping regional commitments.
In pursuit of this objective, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the EAC jointly organized a two-day regional consultation meeting in Mombasa, Kenya, from 30-31 October 2023. The gathering convened experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from the EAC partner states to deliberate on the Roadmap for an EAC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan.
The primary goals of the regional meeting were to gain a comprehensive understanding of the blue economy in the EAC, including its challenges and opportunities; establish consensus on harmonizing existing continental, regional, and national blue economy strategies with the EAC Blue Economy Strategy; ensure coherence, complementarity, and synergy among these strategies; draw insights from global best practices in blue economy strategy and implementation; and collectively formulate the EAC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan, defining its vision, goals, objectives, indicators, and implementation mechanisms.
Ms. Mama Keita, Director of ECA in Eastern Africa, commended the meeting participants for their quality presentations and discussions. She expressed confidence that the Roadmap for an EAC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan has laid a solid foundation of shared understanding. Ms. Keita affirmed that the resulting Strategy and Action Plan would serve as a pivotal document guiding the EAC in developing a robust and inclusive blue economy agenda. She reiterated ECA’s commitment to supporting the EAC in this endeavour.
Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana, Director of Productive Sectors at the East African Community, praised the consultation exercise for ensuring alignment between the forthcoming EAC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan and the established AU’s Africa Blue Economy Strategy. He emphasized the importance of considering the varying levels of engagement with the blue economy among partner states. With the roadmap established and the strategy’s priorities identified, Mr. Havugimana expressed confidence that the EAC Blue Economy Strategy and Action Plan would garner strong ownership from partner states committed to its effective operationalization.
