Coastal counties to share Sh3.5bn Go Blue grant from EU

The six coastal counties on Tuesday received Sh3.5 billion grant from the European Union to support the Blue Economy.

The grant will be under the EU-funded Go Blue project.

It will be coordinated by the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP), the regional economic bloc representing  Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu and Taita Taveta counties.

Speaking during the official opening of the Go Blue office in Nyali, Mombasa, the six governors committed to supporting the Go Blue project which was initiated in December 2021 and is currently towards completion in 2024.

Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana said the Go Blue office will unite plans and development of JKP and that every county will benefit from the initiative.

In Tana River, he said there are students who are beneficiaries of GIZ programmes in the TVETs in coastal counties. Around 25 students have gone through the blue economy training.

“We have students who have been taught on Beach Management Units  and supported with boats and fishing equipment. Another 284 students have been trained and are now doing their work,” he said.

He said Tana River has Financed Local-led Climate Activities (Floca), a programme that came as a result of climate change effects in the region.

The Floca programme targets to come up with mitigation and response to climate change problems.

“We are teaching people to change their behaviour on climate-smart programmes and now Go Blue supports the idea,” he said.

He said they have started digging boreholes using solar instead of generators to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions.

Kilifi Governor Gideon Mungaro encouraged the partners to also train youth on smart agriculture to promote food security.

Mung'raro also wants the youth to be trained in tourism to improve the sector and offer them job opportunities.

“The biggest problem we have especially in my county is drought, which is a climate change issue and if no quick action is taken to reverse the situation, we will continue to face the same problem,” he said.

He said there is a lot of degradation around the mangrove areas where people are cutting down trees.

“When we talk of going blue, let us think of climate change and deforestation especially on the mangrove areas because we cannot do aquaculture, fishing and other activities without them,” he said.

“That is why we are calling upon the investors to train youths on smart farming like beekeeping to end the cutting down of mangrove trees to burn charcoal to protect our environment."

Mungaro said all plans are for the benefit of the people but the partners should also put into consideration matters touching on health, the economy and the availability of fresh water.

“It is important for our partners to have interventions on the freshwater project because the water resources have been affected due to climate change,” Munga'aro said.

“In Kilifi we are supposed to have more than 150 million litres of water in a day but we only get 60 million, therefore we need good collaboration and a special plan which most coastal counties don't have."

Lamu Deputy governor Raphael Munyua said 60 per cent of the region lies on an Island therefore they are already blue because their livelihoods depend on the marine ecosystem.

“Our biggest challenge is to have a sustainable way of exploiting our marine system, actually with the help of some friends in Lamu we are now not only fattening the chicken but also the crabs," he said.

"The sea cucumbers and the jumbo prones are profitable through sustainable exploitation of the marine ecosystem."

He said the regions have not exploited the blue economy and fishermen can hardly venture into the high seas because they are not trained and don't have capable vessels to exploit the resources available.

Africa  UN-Habitat regional representative Oumar Sylla said the Go Blue programme is important because one cannot address sea matters without linking them to the land.

“This is why the component we are bringing is related to urban planning to make sure there is a controlled urbanisation and the urban population is not negatively impacting the marine ecosystem and the sea,” he said.

He said when cities are well planned and managed, they will see the benefit of tapping on the blue economy to establish a strong economy at the local level.

The UNEP marine and freshwater principal coordinator Leticia Carvalho said the Kenyan coast is giving an example to the world on how to manage a sustainable blue economy, and connect open development, job creation and ocean governance.

“Go Blue project is an initiative where all partners involved have the potential to make Kenya an example of how to leverage sustainable blue economy and good use of the ocean,” Carvallo said.

“This will be so vital for all the lives, communities and human existence in the world."

JKP CEO Emmanuel Nzai said that the Go Blue project which is supported by Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, France and Belgium among other stakeholders is expected to support about 3,000 youths until 2024.

“Portugal is focusing on tourism, culture and heritage which we are doing with Ubuntu leaders who have supported about 200 youths. There is a grant proposal that will be done whose funds will be given to small SMEs in tourism, culture and heritage,” he said.

Nzai said Italy has focused on beach management units in Mtwapa and Uyombo in Kilifi, Mombasa and Lamu where 1500 fishers will benefit and later be given 35 boats by January next year.

“All this is to help the residents in the blue economy programme, JKP will ensure that the funds are given to residents in the six counties as we continue looking for more especially from the county government which will help in the county integrated development plans,” he said.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)