Harnessing the oceans' potential
UNLOCKING the potential of the blue economy was a priority for Africa. This was the message delegates attending the African Maritime Domain Conference at The Boardwalk Hotel and Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth yesterday agreed on.
The African Union adopted the 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy earlier this year, with a specific focus on increased wealth creation from Africa's oceans and seas.
In July President Jacob Zuma announced Operation Phakisa, a government programme to fast-track economic opportunities in South Africa's oceans.
Andre Share, chief director of Integrated Coastal Management in the Department of Environment Affairs, said South Africa had a large ocean jurisdiction of 3900km of coastline (including the Prince Edward Islands) which held enormous economic potential.
Although the ocean's economy contributed R54-billion to the country's GDP and created 316000 jobs in 2010, he said, it had the potential by 2033 to contribute R129-billion to R177-billion to GDP and create just more than a million jobs.
The four growth areas identified for Operation Phakisa, Share said, were marine transport and manufacturing where hubs would be created to serve industry; offshore oil and gas exploration to capitalise on South Africa's resource potential and create downstream secondary industries; aquaculture to counter declining fish stocks; and marine protection services and governance.
Share said while there was no central governance framework for the sustainable growth of South Africa's oceanic economy, an overarching governance plan would be developed by March 2016.
Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Ben Fihla said that as a continent "we need to make the shift from a land-centric approach to claim the benefits of the natural maritime environment".
He said hunger could be counteracted by responding proactively to the benefits of the sea economy.
Seychelles Natural Resources Minister Peter Sinon said although tourism was a pillar of the country's economy, the blue economy had become a priority for the Seychelles government, with an internal ministerial committee meeting held at least once a week to discuss progress made.
The Seychelles had been mandated with 1.3 million km² of ocean space to "exploit sustainably ... to ensure that the next generation can still eat fish", Sinon said.
Even though aquaculture and mariculture had huge potential for the Seychelles building skills capacity was a concern.
It was important to collaborate with other regions like South Africa, which was already gearing up in terms of skills development by tertiary institutions such as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
If only 5% of the potential of the Seychelles' blue economy was developed, Sinon said, its fish catch would come to 50000 tons a year. - Cindy Preller
