On November 20, 2018, Kenya said preparations for the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference were in their final stretch, with 180 countries confirmed for the November 26-28 gathering and 11,571 delegates expected to attend.
Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma made the announcement at a Nairobi hotel on Tuesday, alongside Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko and Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau. The conference is billed as the first global meeting focused on the sustainable blue economy.
According to the organisers, the event is meant to tap the economic value of oceans, seas and rivers in a way that improves livelihoods. It will be co-hosted by Canada and Japan and will feature side events including a research and science symposium, a business and private sector forum, and more than 60 exhibitors.
Several organisations had already pledged support for the summit. The Food and Agriculture Organisation committed Sh10 million, the United Nations Development Programme pledged Sh10 million, and the Ocean Foundation put in Sh150 million.
The conference theme is blue economy and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Seychelles President Danny Faure was also expected at the event after being named the African Union champion for Blue Economy the previous week.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who launched the pre-conference summit in Mombasa on Monday, said the conference would allow Kenya to show what it can do with its blue economy resources. His remarks came after he commissioned the marine craft MV KSGS Doria in Mombasa.
Uhuru said the commissioning reflected his administration’s effort to recover Kenya’s lost focus on maritime resources. He said the country had failed to keep up with trends in the sector and was now seeing the ocean as a possible driver of economic growth.
“We failed to adapt to the trends in the maritime sector and completely lost focus then. Today the ocean is emerging as an avenue where its sustainable harnessing could be a boost to the economy,” Uhuru said.
He also said Kenya was not fully benefiting from the wealth in its waters, alleging that foreign vessels had been taking sea harvests away.
The conference was expected to place Kenya’s maritime ambitions, regional partnerships and blue economy agenda at the centre of international attention as the November dates approached.
