… As AAMA commit to champion Blue Economy
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| From Right: The Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Secretary General International Maritime Organisation (IMO) , Kitack Lim and the Secretary General International Seabed Authority Michael W. Lodge at the first global conference on sustainable blue economy currently going on in Nairobi, Kenya. |
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has said that development of the blue economy
is a veritable strategy for advancing African economies and lifting the people
out of poverty.
Dakuku stated this on Monday in Nairobi, where he led a
high-powered Nigerian delegation to the opening of the first global conference
on sustainable blue economy.
high-powered Nigerian delegation to the opening of the first global conference
on sustainable blue economy.
Dakuku 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.”
The NIMASA DG, who is also Chairman of the Association of African Maritime
Administrations (AAMA), delivered a statement of commitment on behalf of the
association during the three-day conference, which is co-sponsored by Nigeria.
In it, 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.
Dakuku stated, “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.”
Speaking also at the conference, 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.
The Prime Minister of Namibia, Saara Kuugongelwa, spoke in a similar vein,
saying the Namibian government is 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 will 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.
Other African leaders in attendance included the President of Kenya, Uhuru
Kenyatta who is the Chief Host of the conference ; President of Somalia,
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohammed; President of Tanzania, John Magufuli; President of
Zanzibar, Ali Mohamed Shein; President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni; and
President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi. The Governments of Canada and Japan who
are cohosting the conference were represented by their top cabinet ministers.
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, which ends on Wednesday in
the Kenyan capital, 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.
