Africa-Press – Tanzania. ACADEMICIANS have called for more investment in awareness and education over opportunities in the Blue Economy so that people from different social groups could explore benefits.
The workshop was meant to share knowledge and experiences over the blue economy for a wider understanding of the concept so that journalists could properly and efficiently educate the public.
Counseling Consultant Director- General Dr Mkumbo Mitula said media awareness over the Blue Economy value chain was paramount to enable people to spot opportunities and create their jobs.
“Journalists have a vital role in the community; you enlighten the society. Therefore it is the journalist’s responsibility to spread the message regarding the opportunities and benefits of the Blue Economy,” Dr Mitula said during a training workshop for journalists in Dar es Salaam.
Lecturer of the Dar es Salaam Maritime Institute (DMI), Dr Tumaini Gurumo, in her presentation she noted that Step Towards Blue Economy (STBE) was the right path to alleviate poverty, unemployment and achieve sustainable development.
The workshop’s objective was to provide a profound reflection on the potential of the blue economy for social and economic development.
She said apart from the fact that resources in the blue economy such as fish and other seafood could contribute immensely to good health and food security, water bodies also play a key role as transport infrastructures.
“Water transport accounts for 80 per cent of global trade volume. Therefore it requires human resources; for instance, the maritime industry has a shortage of 147,500 qualified officers by 2025, thus investing in the blue economy would open doors to producing more professionals,” Dr Gurumo said. Tourism has become one of the biggest global businesses employing one in every eleven employees globally.
The travel and tourism sector contribution to world GDP is more than 9.8 per cent (USD7.2 trillion). Other benefits, she said, include oil and gas exploration and extraction, renewable energy, and deep-sea mining.
