Without collaboration, the benefits of the Blue Economy cannot be properly captured, utilised and sustained.
The natural result of stakeholders’ identification is for collaboration and partnership.
These were the views of the Secretary General (Abuja MoU), Capt. Sunday Umoren, at the 4th Annual Symposium and Workshop of African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative held on 24th and 25th September, 2024.
The two-day symposium themed ‘Achieving Blue Growth in a Changing Climate (Integrating the coastal communities)’ had experts x-ray how climate change can be of benefit in growing the blue economy.
Umoren while presenting his paper titled
‘Collaboration and Partnership in Driving Blue economy,’ said the blue economy creates a substantial number of jobs and economic opportunities worldwide.
He said that in most instances, collaboration and partnerships provide the only means of actualising the prospects of the Blue Economy.
According to him, collaboration and partnerships could cover Funding, Marketing, Shareholding, Technology, Sustainability, Conservation, Policy formation, and Innovation; including Research and Developments, Logistics, Offtaking and any area of mutual agreement.
He stated how ever, that collaboration should be regulated with international best practices, noting that partners will most likely flow through different and arrays of countries guided.
Umoren said that legality should cover the maximum per cent share of ownership, employment, repatriation of funds and guided by the principle of Fairplay and Equity, and country of arbitration, should the marriage fall apart.
He highlighted the advantages of Collaboration and Partnership to include
Reduced transaction costs and specialisation, Utilisation of complementarities, Utilisation of local rivalry and technological transfer (Learning).
Also included are Innovation and international competitiveness, Business profitability, Growth in size, and Internationalisation.
He highlighted that available collaborations could be local, national and international or private, inter-governmental and JVs.
Umoren advocated collaborations on policies for sustainable fisheries, marine resource management, and environmental conservation.
Collaboration on Gas Supplies using the NLNG Model – Gas supplies, NLNG, BGT, NSML.
He also advocated collaboration with International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
Also Public-Private- Partnerships (PPPs) with governments partnering with private enterprises to invest in sustainable fishing practices, eco-tourism, and renewable marine energy.
“These partnerships can provide funding and innovative technologies,” Umoren said.
He also highlighted Community Engagement; “involving local communities in decision-making ensures that initiatives reflect their needs and knowledge.
“Programmes often focus on sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation efforts, empowering local stakeholders.
“Research and Academia; partnerships with universities and research institutions facilitate data collection and analysis essential for informed policy-making.”
“Collaborative research initiatives help address local challenges such as biodiversity loss and overfishing,” the maritime Expert said, among other collaborations.
However, Umoren emphasised that there can be no successful impact of the blue economy without a strong enforcement drive.
The exploitation and exploration of the oceans have the potential of having great impact on the nation’s revenue and GDP.
But he noted that the ocean faces multiple challenges due to increasing pressure from human actions and impacts, like the over-exploration, over-exploitation, plastic pollution, overfishing, ocean acidification, and others.
He pointed out that these actions and many more are a clear contravention of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development,” he said.
“The restoration of sanity in the maritime domain is through having responsible operators which is often not possible but mostly achievable through ‘enforcement,” he reemphasised.
The enforcement according to him, could be through: Review of the constitution,
Review of the Merchant Shipping Act and other related acts/regulations, Strong legal backing with reward and consequence management.
It can also come through Empowerment of law enforcement agencies with clear delineation of powers and authority (Coast Guard, Marine Police, Navy and others. Others are
Strong Regulatory Authorities, Flag State, Port State,Revenue and Licensing authorities.
Umoren averred that the way forward is the realisation that silo mentality will lead us nowhere and thus the need for us to note the interdependency that has over the centuries existed for the commonwealth of all.
“We grew up hearing the adage ‘the sky is wide enough for all stars to shine’ but today I will implore you all to rephrase it to ‘The sea is wide enough for all stars to shine and glow’
“We need to focus on business growth and investment opportunities and also act responsibly with our focus on SDG 14 – sustainable ocean use (the “Blue Economy”),” he posited