IGAD Sets Strategy to Harness Blue Economy Potentials

Addis Ababa, March 31, 2022 (Walta) – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) prepared a regional bloc’s five years (2021-2025)Blue Economy Strategy to be endorsed by its ministerial meeting tomorrow, April 01, 2022.

In a press release sent to the media, IGAD announced that the regional Blue Economy strategy will serve as a framework to guide the development of the national Blue Economy strategy of the member states.

IGAD Secretariat Environment Protection and Agriculture Program Manager and Blue Economy Coordinator Eshete Dejen (Ph.D.) told The Ethiopian Herald that as the region is the water tower of Africa it embraces the leading Blue Economy potentials in the continent.

“Having the Blue Economy strategy enables member states to design a collective policy towards harnessing the untapped water-related potentials such as water transport, fisheries, port development, and water tourism, among others,” he underscored.

As to him, the strategy will have a fundamental role in creating a sustainable environmental protection system beyond its significant socio-economic benefits.

More importantly, the strategy sought to harness the region’s untapped water potentials by creating an effective channel for the Blue Economy sector, he said.

For her part, Ethiopian Focal Person of Blue Economy at the IGAD Anene Kejela said that the Blue Economy strategy is an important framework for developing and utilizing Transboundary Rivers and the region’s sea resources peacefully and together.

“The endorsement of the Blue Economy strategy contributes a lot to facilitate Ethiopia’s port service demand, shipping, and transport access as well as exporting hydropower to the member countries,” she said.

Blue Economy contributes five percent of the global economy’s GDP. However, it contributes 0.49 percent to Ethiopia’s GDP, according to her.

Therefore, Ethiopia expects the effective implementation of the strategy towards expediting its economic development and creating numerous job opportunities in the Blue Economy sector.

It is to be recalled that the African Union (AU) has identified Blue Economy development as a priority goal towards achieving the aspiration of “a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development within the context of the AU Agenda 2063.’