Kenya in conjunction with Canada is constructing fisheries infrastructure projects along the coast in order to boost the sector and attract more tourists.
Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Economy principal secretary Prof Micheni Ntiba said the project will also include building of more recreational parks.
“We are going to construct a marine park in Kenya in conjunction with Canada to add to tourism attraction sites as well as leisure and learning activities. We will also build more parks in Lamu,” said Prof Ntiba on Saturday when he inspected the Sh460 Mama Ngina Waterfront project.
“The Liwatoni Fisheries Complex is the first Kenyan fish port that has been gazetted.”
The PS also rooted for sustainable blue economy and clean beaches along the coast to spur fishing andtourism.
“Kenya is building its international presence in terms of being one of the African countries that is spearheading the development of blue economy and creation of jobs in the sector,” the PS said.
He urged communities living along the coastline to avoid polluting the environment and participate in cleaning the beaches.
“Don’t throw plastic in the ocean. If the fish and other animals in the Indian Ocean eat plastics they will all die and we won’t enjoy the beaches for our leisure, economic wellbeing and tourism,” Prof Ntiba said.
Next year, he said Kenya and Portugal will co-host the UN conference on Oceans in Lisbon.
“The plans are at an advanced stage for Kenya and Portugal to co-host the conference on June 2 to 6. This is a big task (taking care of oceans) worldwide because all oceans are source of living things. We will continuously hold conferences on blue economy,” Prof Ntiba said.
The PS warned that losing marine species or seaweed is dangerous for sustainable development.
“The (marine) resources are crucial for prosperity. The Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute has a lot of work to do. They should continuously conduct research and tell us the type of fish we have,” added Prof Ntiba.
“We should tap into the institute and use their knowledge to build businesses.”