The first ever Blue Economy Conference on kicked off in Nairobi on Monday with dozens of African countries coming together for a historic meeting focusing on developing a marine-based economy for the continent.
The conference boasted an attendance of several countries including Seychelles, Mozambique and China. The leaders and representatives stated their commitment to driving the Blue Economy’s agenda to ensure a sustainable future for participating countries and partners.
Xu Jinghu China’s Ambassador and special representative for the People’s Republic of China commended the Kenyan government for hosting the Blue Economy conference and wished for its success.
“Blue economy plays a critical role in China’s development growth. Oceans are blue bridges that connect countries all over the world. As the carrier and bond, oceans bring the increasingly close cooperation on market, technology and information,” she said.
She further stressed the importance of the event saying ‘The Blue Economy it is a major driver of global development.”
The special representative added that there is, therefore, a need for coordinated development to boost the growth of the blue economy through improved governance and sharing of knowledge and expertise. This, she said, would improve its efficiency and potential in supporting maritime trade and creating jobs.
China called for Blue Economy partnerships with participating countries in order to realize the goal of inclusive growth and sustainable development.
