Since the 2018 Sustainable Blue Economy Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya the Government has continued with its commitments in hastening development through various initiatives such as: Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme (ADSP), Construction of dams in various parts of the country, Marine Transport development Lamu and Kisumu Ports.

Despite numerous efforts by the public sector, there is still limited capacity to finance the scale of limited capacity to finance the scale of investments needed to realize a sustainable blue economy. This is a call to private sector to bridge financing gap to harness full potential of the Blue Economy.

AFRACA with funding support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is currently implementing the Financing Innovation for Sustainable Fisheries with the Private Sector in Kenya project which is within the FAO’s multidisciplinary Fund Project.

The project aims to support fishing business in Kenya access formal micro-finance and credit sources enabling them to innovate through use of fishing technology innovations that have been proved successful elsewhere.

AFRCA is pleased to invite financial institutions to a workshop training to expound knowledge on their roles in blue economy and strategies for financing the fisheries sector. Specifically, the training aims to:

  • Sensitize financial sector stakeholders and other investors to better understand the potential of the blue economy and investment opportunities.
  • Share new innovations, technologies, and best practices and experiences under the Blue economy within Kenya and across regions.
  • Strengthen the science-policy interface of blue economy resources to inform decision-making among policy makers.
  • Understand the role of women in fisheries, investment barriers and opportunities and recommend a framework for investment support in efforts to promote an inclusive blue economy.
  • Recommend strategies for funds mobilization from both public and private sources, to scale up technological innovations and sustainable fishing practices.

A training curriculum has been developed to strengthen, build and disseminate evidence-based knowledge that can guide sustainable investments in the fisheries sector. The training is expected to boost national and regional efforts in fund mobilizations from different stakeholders in the sector.

Registration is currently ongoing! Email AFRACA at: afraca@africaonline.or.ke or call +254 726080454