Blue Economy, Italy is increasingly at the forefront of projects to strengthen the economy linked to the ocean and the coast of Kenya.
Our Government, through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation from 2019 joined the "Go Blue" Programme, promoted by the European Union and two United Nations agencies in partnership with the Government of Kenya.
Italy, together with the other three Member States, Germany France and Portugal, will coordinate EU projects that over the next four years provide for an investment of €25 million for the economic, maritime safety and environmental development of the six coastal counties (Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu and Taita Taveta) commercially united in the JKP block "Jumuiya Ya Kaunti Za Pwani" (Group of Coastal Counties).
Italian efforts to strengthen the blue economy have already started in 2019 in partnership with the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari and JKP, to create job opportunities. An initiative is now starting in the Malindi District to strengthen and improve fishing infrastructure.
In total, the EU programme expects to employ over 3,000 women and young people.
According to official estimates, the blue economy in Kenya would contribute €375 million to GDP if the potential offered by these sectors were properly exploited.
The main enemies of development are climate change, pollution and uncontrolled exploitation of resources.
This is why, in addition to job creation and growth opportunities, AICS is also involved in the development of the cassava (manioc) and fisheries sectors. These are two key sectors for the local economy: cassava plays a fundamental role in ensuring food security and community livelihoods, as its root is prepared and cooked in different ways and is an essential food in the local diet.
By training and assisting micro-farms, the project aims to help farmers and producers access the market, improving quality and distribution to create new and greater income opportunities on the coast.
This is the case for the fishing sector, where AICS will provide training activities for 1,000 fishermen, setting up infrastructures and equipment and supporting the Beach Management Units, the community organisations that manage fishing activity at a territorial level.
"Italy was one of the first partners to express its willingness to cooperate with the European Union in this sector," admitted Hubert Perr, head of EU cooperation in Kenya, during the Go Blue virtual launch event held on 25 March.
During the event, the Head of the AICS office in Nairobi Fabio Melloni said he was confident that the collaboration between all the partners involved would make an essential contribution to the development of the coastal region and for our Kenyan friends.