THE EUROPEAN UNION HEADS OF MISSION VISIT TO THE GO BLUE PROJECT SITES IN THE COASTAL REGION

The National Government of Kenya and the Heads of Mission from European Union participated in a joint mission, whose main objective was to highlight achievements and potential interests in the Blue Economy, including showcasing achievements so far in this sector achieved by Go Blue Kenya , identifying areas of potential future investments in Kenya and interacting with the Civil Society Organizations at the Coast. The common mission project site visits were undertaken between 15th May 2023 and 18th May 2023. It was coordinated by the European Union Delegation in Kenya, led by the EU Ambassador, H.E. Henriette Geiger.

?The mission involved visits to the Go Blue Kenya program project implementation sites in Kwale, Mombasa, and Taita Taveta County. The Go Blue Kenya program, a partnership between the European Union and the Government of Kenya, is a 4-year program from 2021 that is dedicated to advancing the Blue Economy Agenda through Coastal Development. The project is being implemented in the 6 coastal counties of Kenya which form the Jumuiya Ya Kaunti Za Pwani economic bloc.

?So far, through the respective Implementing Partners, the Go Blue project, funded by the European Union, has achieved tremendous achievements in the three components; Go blue Growth, Go Blue Environment, and Go Blue Maritime Security.

?Go Blue Growth – AICS, GIZ, CAMOES IP

Under the Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo - Sede di Nairobi interventions, 9 target BMUs of Shimoni, Kibuyuni, Mkwiro, Mtwapa, Uyombo, Amu, Mbwajumwali, and Kipini BMUs for a total of approximately 3200 members including fishermen, fish traders, women employed as fish processors have benefited from the donation of 26 boats with fishing gears. The EU Mission delegates witnessed the signing off and handing over of these boats from the Head of the Aics Office in Nairobi, Mr. Giovanni Grandi, to the Governors of the counties of Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi, in an event that was presided by the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Rigathi Gachagua.

'The delivery of the boats represents a milestone for the Italian component of the EU-funded Go Blue', said Giovanni Grandi, Head of Aics office in Nairobi. We believe this can increase the activities and income of the partner cooperatives. We are also working together with our technical partner CIHEAM Bari on the design of a revolving fund-like boat management scheme, which will make sure that the supplied vessels will keep on generating capital, enabling fishermen to acquire additional boats. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that the resources of the blue economy are used in the most sustainable way,' he concluded.

The Italian component also targets the enhancement of the cassava value chain: another outstanding achievement by Aics is the building and equipping of the cassava processing plant at Magodi in Kwale County which will support over 50 farmers to bulk their cassava produce, process it, add value and sell it either as chips or flour. This will go a long way to address the issue of food insecurity and enhance money in the pockets of cassava farmers, something which has never happened before. The planned construction of a cassava processing facility at Matsangoni, Kilifi County is also underway.

德国国际合作机构 on behalf of Germany is implementing one component of the EU-funded Go Blue Project, with the specific objective of strengthening inclusive and sustainable blue economy (BE) value chains. This is achieved through skills development and matching (TVET), aquaculture value chain development (AVCD), and support to enterprises in selected blue economy value chains. Achievements to date include a partnership with 9 Vocational Training Centres (VTCs), including the set up of 6 Blue Economy TVET Centres of Excellence offering labor market-oriented, and demand-led, modularised Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) in selected blue economy value chains.

So far, 2600+ youth and women completed Blue Economy CBET courses, out of which 2,000+ have been placed in jobs (total job placement rate standing at 76%). These interventions are complemented by MSME support, through entrepreneurship development to grow youth-led enterprises and MSME labs providing business development and incubation services. So far, 550+ have been supported through upskilling and upscaling.?

?Further, 2000+ aquaculture enterprises and /or fish farmers have been supported and provided with the necessary skills including business development and technical skills to enhance their business capacities. 3 Aquaculture agents and 226 master trainers have been trained in aquaculture value chains, including extension officers, advanced fish farmers, and VTC staff.

?Recently, the first Kenyan Level 6 Aquaculture TVET curriculum that includes mariculture has been developed, accredited, and rolled out in collaboration with Pwani University. Out of this, 4 short courses are being provided in 6 partner VTCs. Additional investment has been made in setting up the first milkfish hatchery in Mtwapa (Kilifi), being undertaken to increase production and productivity.

? Cam?es - Instituto da Coopera??o e da Língua, I.P. , Portugal′s Cooperation Agency entrusted by the European Union to implement the Go Blue | Tourism and Cultural Heritage component has registered major milestones on the targeted three main expected outputs under this component.

So far, towards generating new employment and value chains through innovative projects, a total of 17 projects have been selected to benefit from 520, 000 EUR worth of grants, to support the creation of new and inclusive employment, especially for women and youth. 16 of these projects have signed the grant agreement contracts and are benefiting from mentorship in grant management, business development, and marketing strategies.

?The awarded projects cover the six coastal counties and are at various implementation stages. During the European Union Heads of Mission tour, the delegation visited the Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forest Managed by the Kaya Kinondo Forest Conservation Organisation, one of the 16 Go Blue | Tourism and Cultural Heritage grantees, a self-help group in Kinondo village, Kinondo ward, Msambweni Sub County of Kwale County Kenya. This project aims to enhance tourist experiences in and around the Kaya Kinondo sacred forest in Kinondo village in ways that not only promote and preserve the local heritage but also create sustainable livelihood opportunities for the locals, especially women, and youth. Cam?es IP was represented by the Portuguese Ambassador in Nairobi, Ana Filomena Rocha, during the HoM′s visits to the coastal region.

?Additionally, a total of 196 young job seekers, across the six counties, 95 of them women, have been trained, with the support of European Union and Cam?es IP funding, to become transformative and inspiring social entrepreneurs. These youth will continuously be supported to find or create jobs for themselves and other youth.

?Lastly,?in an effort to contribute to the advancement of inclusive employment in the Tourism and Cultural Heritage cross-sector in JKP Counties under its Jumuiya 2030 blue economy strategy, the process of developing the Jumuiya TCH Blueprint is at an advanced stage. The Draft committee responsible for leading the regional action plan is compiling the Blueprint. A multi-sectorial workshop and consultation with key stakeholders has already been done and the Jumuiya TCH Blueprint is expected to be completed and launched by September 2023.

?Go Blue Environment- UN Environment & UN-Habitat

During the recent visit of EU Heads of Mission, an important milestone was achieved in tackling the solid waste management challenges faced by Taita Taveta County. The dignitaries had the opportunity to witness the innovative Go Blue intervention by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) during their visit to the Chakaleri disposal site in Voi. The joint project aims to establish an operational Material Recovery Facility (MRF) through the Civil Society Urban Development Platform (CSUDP), an implementing partner of UN-Habitat.

?According to a recent waste audit conducted by UN-Habitat, Taita Taveta County generates an estimated 195 tons of solid waste daily. Only 30% of this waste is collected through conventional systems, with a meager 1% being recovered. The MRF, designed to boost and reactivate material recovery, will operate on a business model that focuses on engaging waste actors, particularly women, and youth involved in the recycling industry. This initiative seeks to enhance their business environment and create employment opportunities. Upon completion, the project is expected to provide active employment to over 200 waste actors, contributing to the material recycling enterprise anchored on the MRF Business Model.

?Furthermore, it is anticipated that the material recovery rates from the County's waste stream will increase from the current 1% to over 5%. The Go Blue intervention represents a significant step towards sustainable waste management practices and supports the goals of Taita Taveta County in achieving a cleaner and more environmentally friendly community.

Go Blue Maritime security: Expertise France

The maritime security component, implemented by Expertise France , has recorded over the past months huge strides. In order to improve maritime security and safety in Kenya, about 848 fishers have participated in maritime safety trainings and got equipped with lifejackets and watertight phone bags to increase their safety at sea. In close collaboration with the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), a Community Watch Programme has been established whereby 26 Beach Management Units (BMUs) got trained on maritime law enforcement using a community-government partnership model. This has included the development of a first-of-its-kind coastal application Usalama Baharini to facilitate communication between coastal communities and maritime law enforcement actors as well as make it easy for the fisher communities to report any suspicious activity at sea or maritime safety incidents.

?Expertise France is supporting the Bandari Maritime Academy with the development of various inter-agency curricula on different topics related to maritime governance, including Maritime Domain Awareness; Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance; Illegal, Unreported, and Undocumented fishing; Search and Rescue; and Maritime Pollution prevention and fighting. These activities are part of the actions to improve inter-agency cooperation and collaboration between maritime security agencies in Kenya.

?Lastly, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and Expertise France have signed a capacity-building agreement to support Search and Rescue activities, which will include various trainings and delivery of equipment along the Kenyan coast to save people in distress at sea.

?About Go Blue

The Go Blue Kenya project is a collaboration between the European Union and the Government of Kenya to advance the blue economy agenda in Kenya through coastal development. The overall objective is to unlock the potential of land-sea opportunities in coastal urban centres for sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth with employment impact, while conserving and sustainably using the coastal and marine environment as well as promoting effective and integrated maritime governance.

?The 4-year project (January 2021 to 2024) is implemented jointly by four-member states agencies namely Germany Implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH), Italy through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Portugal through Cam?es I.P and France through Expertise France (EF), and two United Nations agencies, namely United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The project is being implemented in six coastal counties of Kenya namely, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Tana River counties. The key project local stakeholder is the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP), the Coastal Economic Bloc.

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