The move by the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to come up with 12 action-plans to revive the Blue Economy after the Covid 19 pandemic is very welcome.
Blue economy is a vast largely untapped area of potential economic activity and Africa is just waking up to the potential of its ocean and lake resources.
There is excitement about job creation, new source of revenue for government and the limitless potential of ocean entrepreneurship.
As attention turns to the blue economy, as policy makers and business endeavor to chat way forward, youth must be at the centre.
If the blue economy is to become more than a branding slogan, youth participation and access to opportunities must be seen to be important if not most important.
Through the Blue Economy, we need to address the problems facing the youth especially unemployment.
Currently, seventy percent of jobless people in the country are youth, and about 1 million more young people entre the job market annually, with hopes to find employment. The Blue Economy offers huge opportunities that should be harnessed to create jobs and improve livelihoods.
But youth must not only be seen as people with problems. Youth represent dynamism required for the growth of the blue economy. Youth must be seen as an asset and supported with the required capacity, technology and resources to participate in the Blue Economy. In this case, there is need to tap into the creativity and talent of the youth.
There is need for practitioners in Youth Affairs, to increase their presence and inclusion in decision making especially in projects and programmes that impact directly on the future generation of this Country.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), up to 90% of the Global Trade facilitation by volume is seaborne and up to 70% of the global trade facilitation by value is by the sea. This means that waters provide vital services that contribute to economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation. This is a critical area, which, if well managed and harnessed, can create limitless opportunities for the young people.
The Government should develop and build capacity for the youth in Maritime Sector. This entails educating and motivating the youth to get into the study of maritime domain that in turn will ultimately increase the output value of the industry.
The Government should further, foster development of partnerships to facilitate capacity building of Youth and financing youth innovations/enterprises for economic purposes and sustainable management of these water bodies resources. One focus of such partnerships should be in the areas of ocean studies and exploitation of resources and, scientific exploration for sustainable development and economic purposes. This, in turn, will enhance commercial benefits from areas such as human resource expertise and technology.
As the UN-Habitat Executive Director remarked in a youth and blue economy conference held in Kenya, youth are a critical factor in the blue economy. Youth must be at the centre of tapping these opportunities – youth must be at the front of the opportunities that are created.
Resources from the seas, oceans and lakes should be utilized in a way that is inclusive and benefit everyone especially the youth.
Ultimately, fundamental improvements in the policy environment are essential for Kenya to reap maximum returns from investments in the blue economy.
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