Fifty thousand livelihoods of underprivileged and marginalized communities in 11 Counties in Coast and Lake regions of Kenya are set to be transformed following the launch of the Investing in Women in The Blue Economy in Kenya (IIW-BEK) Project.
Speaking at Windsor Lake View Hotel in Kiambu County, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs H.E Hon. Salim Mvurya said the women empowerment programme is set to provide a meaningful engagement and opportunities for women and young women in Kenya’s blue economy.
“Women contribute up to 60% of the labor force in the fisheries sector alone. In addition to production, processing and trading roles within the blue economy, women’s labour also supports the sector through the reproductive roles they play as mothers, housewives, caregivers, cooks and cleaners. It is time to formally register and quantify this contribution.” The CS said.
Overfishing and climate change effects
Christopher Thornley, High Commissioner for Canada in the republic of Kenya said overfishing and the adverse effects of climate change are now a threat to sustainability of natural resources hence affecting livelihoods of those who depend on the sector.
In line with the Kenya Kwanza Bottom-Up Economic Agenda, H.E Thornley said, “the most important thing is to create an enabling environment for women to have access to technology and resources for sustainable growth of their businesses in the blue economy sector as well as seeing SMEs, who have emerged as key players particularly in fishing and aquaculture value chains adopt sustainable practises in their operations such as using eco-friendly fishing gears, implementing responsible fishing techniques and promoting community led conservation efforts by promoting the growth and sustainability of enterprises in the blue economy.”
He said Kenya can realise its potential for economic growth while preserving its marine resources for future generations and this is why Canada is supporting the investing in women in the blue economy project in the country.
Investing in women and the blue economy
Council of Governors chairperson of the Blue Economy Committee H.E Issa Timamy added, “investing in women and the blue economy is critical if we are to realize the potential of our blue resources. Engaging more women in the rising blue economy has a ripple effect in economic growth and diversification, job creation and poverty reduction, sustainability and resource management as well as social impact.”
The Lamu governor also recognized the fact that women face unique social economic challenges such as gender and social norms which prohibit them from participating in certain aspects of the blue economy.
“Even as we launch this program, more can be done in order to attract more investors. I would like to call upon stakeholders to consider having training opportunities for women in the blue economy sector in order to maximise on the opportunity that this program presents for women enterprises in the counties.” He added.
His sentiments were echoed by Busia Governor H.E Paul Otuoma who said there is need for mainstream planning and policies to address issues that women in the blue economy sector go through.
“Let’s try and make sure that we mitigate issues that affect women negatively when it comes to menstrual hygiene. As we do this blue economy, we need to make our society understand that stigmatisation greatly affects women because a lot of people in some communities look at this subject as a taboo.
Taita Taveta County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation Hon. Erickson Kyongo has made a clarion call to women in the county to take advantage of the programme as it aims to promote wealth creation.
“We have gone a step further to introduce aquaculture curriculum at Njoro VTC in Taveta to ensure youths embrace this blue economy life for better livelihoods. We are glad that the ministry has also included Taita Taveta in this programme, meaning we are going to see the positive effects associated with it.”
With at least Kes. 1B channeled to IIW-BEK project, the government has raised concern to low number of applicants seeking the grant.
Two groups, the Rio Fish Ltd and Greatlakes Feeds Ltd from Homa Bay and Siaya Counties respectively are the first two beneficiaries of the Programme to be awarded a total of KES. 112 million, with each of them receiving KES. 56 million.
