Eromosele Abiodun writes on African governments’ move to develop
the blue economy, saying enormous untapped potential for making
economies in the continent strong and self-reliant lies on the concept
Recently, the African Development Bank
(AfDB) released a report, which revealed that a significant decline in
Africa’s poverty will require the continent’s gross domestic product
(GDP) to grow at an overall average of seven per cent. In order to
achieve this goal, experts believe it is of paramount importance that
Africa’s international trade continues and strengthens its current
development.
To do this, analysts contended that
Africa must make effective use of its oceans and seas. Oceans, seas and
coastal areas form an integrated and essential component of the earth’s
ecosystem and are critical to sustainable development.
They cover more than two-thirds of the
earth’s surface and contain 97 per cent of the planet’s water. Oceans
contribute to poverty eradication by creating sustainable livelihoods
and decent work. Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal
resources for their livelihoods. In addition, oceans are crucial for
global food security and human health. They are also the primary
regulator of the global climate, an important sink for greenhouse gases
and they provide us with water and the oxygen we breathe. Finally,
oceans host huge reservoirs of biodiversity.
In order for oceans, seas and marine
resources to successfully contribute to human well-being, ecosystem
integrity, with properly functioning biogeochemical and physical
processes, is required. This does not require unperturbed systems, but
systems that have not suffered serious or irreversible harm. Ecosystem
integrity allows for the provision of so-called supporting ecosystem
services which, in turn, are the bases of important regulating,
provisioning and cultural ecosystem services that are of crucial
importance for humans. Whereas the benefits provided by oceans, seas and
marine resources are important to all people, the poor, indigenous
peoples, and vulnerable groups with a high dependency on natural
resources and ecosystem services may have their well-being especially
tied to these benefits. The link between oceans, seas and marine
resources and human well-being is not one-sided. While an increase in
human well-being is frequently generated at the cost of ecosystem
integrity, it can also potentially reduce the negative anthropocentric
impacts on the marine environment, for example due to a more sustainable
use of resources, changes in production and consumption patterns and
improved management and control of human activities. In order for this
to happen, good governance and an enabling environment are however
required. Meanwhile, Africa now seem ready to do what is necessary to
take advantage of its vats ocean resource to create a sustainable blue
economy for the wellbeing of its peoples.
Leaders’ Promise
Last week, African leaders assured stakeholders of the development of the blue economy as a veritable strategy for advancing African economies and lifting the people out of poverty.
The leaders made the pledge at the first global conference on sustainable blue economy in Nairobi Kenya.
Speaking at the conference, the Chairman of the African Union (AU), President Paul Kigame of Rwanda, said the union was committed to the growth of the blue economy in the continent.
Last week, African leaders assured stakeholders of the development of the blue economy as a veritable strategy for advancing African economies and lifting the people out of poverty.
The leaders made the pledge at the first global conference on sustainable blue economy in Nairobi Kenya.
Speaking at the conference, the Chairman of the African Union (AU), President Paul Kigame of Rwanda, said the union was committed to the growth of the blue economy in the continent.
Kigame said member-states had shown
commitment towards sustainable use of the ocean and AU would continue to
formulate policies that would engender the development of Africa’s
ocean economy.
On her part, the Prime Minister of
Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa said the Namibian government was committed to
developing an integrated blue economy policy geared towards protecting
the marine environment of the Southern African country. Kuugongelwa said
Namibia had a special fisheries observers’ institution, which puts the
country among the leaders in sustainable fisheries management.
She disclosed that in the next 12
months, Namibia would be investing a minimum of $5 million towards
marine research, on purpose to advance economic inclusivity.
In his remarks, President of Seychelles
Danny Faure, who was appointed to serve as the AU Champion of Blue
Economy, said in his own capacity he would get more women to serve on
the blue economy regime. This, he said, would ensure that the campaign
for the blue economy remained all-inclusive. He also said his country
would work on establishing a pan African shipping line.
Also in attendance was the newly
re-elected Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation
(IMO), Kitack Lim, the Canadian Minister of Oceans and Fisheries,
Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, and several other notable world maritime
stakeholders.
The inaugural sustainable blue economy
conference has over 15,000 participants from around the world. They are
gathered to discuss how to build a blue economy that harnesses the
potentials of oceans, seas, lakes and rivers to improve the lives of
people, particularly those in developing countries.
FG Seeks Partnership
Also, at the conference, the Federal Government of Nigeria expressed its readiness to cooperate with sister countries and development bodies to advance Africa’s prosperity through the safe and sustainable use of the continent’s vast sea and ocean resources.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this known in his speech at the first sustainable blue economy conference.
Also, at the conference, the Federal Government of Nigeria expressed its readiness to cooperate with sister countries and development bodies to advance Africa’s prosperity through the safe and sustainable use of the continent’s vast sea and ocean resources.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this known in his speech at the first sustainable blue economy conference.
Amaechi, who conveyed Nigeria’s
statement of commitment to the blue economy initiative, said its growth
was the most viable option for Africa’s development in the wake of
declining mineral and commodity prices.
He said the high level participation in the conference demonstrated the importance African countries attached to the blue economy and their resolve to use the resources of the seas and oceans to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty to its barest minimum.
He said the high level participation in the conference demonstrated the importance African countries attached to the blue economy and their resolve to use the resources of the seas and oceans to accelerate economic growth and reduce poverty to its barest minimum.
The minister, who was represented by the
Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA) and Chairman of the Association of African Maritime
Administrations (AAMA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, stated: “As a country we
are conscious of our responsibilities and international obligations
which have given rise to our endorsement and domestication of key
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and other important African
Union continental instruments.
“We are mindful and highly committed to
our responsibilities to protect our marine environment to ensure that
our continent does not become dumping ground for pollutants which can
prevent exploration of ocean resources.”
Amaechi highlighted steps taken by the federal government to mainstream the blue economy concept into its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to include formulation of a draft National Transport Policy, which is awaiting approval of the Federal Executive Council. The policy, according to him, will provide the platform to implement at the country level the framework for the protection and sustainable exploitation of Africa’s maritime domain.
“The government has also constituted a high-powered committee, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, to formulate and map out a roadmap to align the Blue Economy regime with the country’s ERGP,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi highlighted steps taken by the federal government to mainstream the blue economy concept into its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to include formulation of a draft National Transport Policy, which is awaiting approval of the Federal Executive Council. The policy, according to him, will provide the platform to implement at the country level the framework for the protection and sustainable exploitation of Africa’s maritime domain.
“The government has also constituted a high-powered committee, coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, to formulate and map out a roadmap to align the Blue Economy regime with the country’s ERGP,” Amaechi said.
Other steps include the drafting of a
dedicated anti-piracy bill, which is before the National Assembly, to
provide the requisite framework for the fight, prosecution and
punishment of piracy and other related crimes in Nigeria and the Gulf of
Guinea, and approval for the acquisition of intelligence gathering
maritime domain awareness assets and military response assets to fight
pirates and make Nigeria’s maritime domain safe for economic activities.
Amaechi said the federal government was investing heavily in the development of new infrastructure, such as deep sea ports and intermodal transport, to drive growth in the maritime sector. “All of these actions underscore the importance our government has placed on the Blue Economy Concept,” he said.
Amaechi said the federal government was investing heavily in the development of new infrastructure, such as deep sea ports and intermodal transport, to drive growth in the maritime sector. “All of these actions underscore the importance our government has placed on the Blue Economy Concept,” he said.
He assured stakeholders that Nigeria was
fully committed to Africa’s drive to harness the vast potentials of its
maritime domain, saying the country “will continue to cooperate with
sister countries and developmental bodies to advance the prosperity of
the African continent.”
In his words: “We pledge our commitment
to the overarching issues of addressing poverty, corruption, trade
barriers, and all those issues that have hindered growth. More
particularly, Nigeria as a country will prioritise the integration of
Blue Economy into our circular economic restoration and growth plan; we
will leave no stone unturned to create limitless opportunities for our
people and lift them out of poverty. This is our resolve as the most
viable option we have for sustainable development is commitment to the
Blue Economy.”
Amaechi hoped that the conference would
build on previous efforts by African heads of government to develop
comprehensive and coherent strategies that address the blue economy,
such as the African Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 (AIMS 2050);
African Maritime Transport Charter; 2016 African Charter on Maritime
Safety, Security and Development (Lome Charter); and “Agenda 2063”,
which Nigeria has signed on to.
Africa’s Maritime Potential
Peterside further stated that it was high time Africans took advantage of the continent’s enormous maritime potential to develop their countries, explaining that climes without as much opportunities are making worthy use of the ocean economy and increasing the prosperity of their people.
Peterside further stated that it was high time Africans took advantage of the continent’s enormous maritime potential to develop their countries, explaining that climes without as much opportunities are making worthy use of the ocean economy and increasing the prosperity of their people.
According to him, “It is common
knowledge that among all the continents, Africa can be termed the
biggest Island, and so if countries of the region can sustainably
harness the blue economy it is sure that a large percentage of poverty
level in the continent of Africa would have been tackled.”
Dakuku delivered a statement of
commitment on behalf of the association where he detailed the objectives
of AAMA, the coordinating body for 38 African Maritime Administrations,
to include improvement of the capacities of African maritime
administrations, enhancement of member-states’ compliance with
international maritime treaties, and coordination of programmes aimed at
synchronising the ocean economy with other economic sectors.
He said: “All these objectives assigned
to us by AFrica Maritime Transport Charter put AAMA in a unique position
to fully mobilise players in the maritime domain for optimisation of
the potentials of Africa’s Blue Economy.
“We have already taken a number of steps
to realize these goals as set out in our various works and activities.
In our past four conferences, we focused on the preservation and
protection of the Marine Environment, and are committed to driving these
beyond the Sustainable Blue Economy conference, for the simple reason
that there cannot be actual sustainability irrespective of the economic
benefits without consideration for the health of the Seas and Oceans.”
“The Blue Economy concept is perhaps the
greatest sectoral shift that has capacity to unleash the growth
potential of our Continent. It is thus imperative that our approach to
tapping the potentials of this new sector is coordinated and
accelerated.
“Finally, as a continental body, the
Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) is committed to
working with African Union (AU) Commission and other institutions to
deepen the attainment of the Blue Economy goals for the economic
prosperity of our nations and the continent,” he stated.
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