The Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP) brought together visitors and exhibitors at the Maputo International Fair (FACIM), students from various schools and those interested in water issues, to address a topic that has been much debated recently: the issue of the blue economy.
Under the theme of ‘Blue Professions’ as a prerequisite for the viability of the Blue Economy Development strategy in Mozambique, MIMAIP intends to take advantage of the project to boost and enhance the aquatic economy.
According to the FACIM newsletter, made public this Friday, 30 August, the project is based on six strategic pillars of development, namely fishing and aquaculture; renewable energies and the marine extractive industry; natural capital, the environment and the circular economy; tourism and culture; maritime transport and port infrastructures and logistics; and maritime security.
To attract young people and those potentially interested in aquatic services, MIMAIP has listed several traditional blue professions, including sailor, naval architect, naval engineer, aquaculturist, biologist, electrical and physical engineer for renewable energies, maritime cargo manager, welder and others who feed families and contribute to quality of life, but are not counted in state revenues.
‘Our state needs to collect taxes to raise revenue and provide basic social services (education, health, environmental sanitation, the electricity grid, etc).
Each of these common professions in our country generates money that can contribute to national economic growth, create jobs for women and young people, generate taxes for the state and develop the chain of related services (transport, savings groups, etc.),’ said Simeão Lopes, chairmans of the Blue Economy Development Fund (ProAzul).
He added that ProAzul, an institution with a mandate to make blue economy initiatives viable, had created the ‘Portfolio of Blue Investment Opportunities’, which contains a portfolio of bankable projects that generate multiple job opportunities.
On the occasion, the participants also left behind some recommendations that could help the country’s development, in particular possible funding for the fisheries education sector, which could contribute to the creation of co-operatives that help the growth and development of initiatives by beginners in blue economy matters.
