July 8, 2024 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and The Sub-Regional Office of Eastern Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA SRO-EA) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Maritime Authority conducted a final validation workshop of the Action Plan to the National Blue Economy Strategy, and the UNECA Blue Economy Valuation Toolkit (BEVTK) assessment of Ethiopia following a consultation exercise that was held on 23-24 October 2023 in Addis Ababa where the Action Plan and BEVTK assessment documents were reviewed.
At the opening ceremony of the workshop, speaking at the opening session of the workshop, Dr. Eshete Dejen, Program Manager, AED Sustainable Environment Unit, on behalf of the Director of IGAD Agriculture and Environment, Daher Elmi, said that our water-based resources our lakes, rivers, and wetlands are reservoirs of untapped wealth. The purpose of this workshop is clear: to validate the action plan that will guide Ethiopia’s sustainable development in the blue economy domain. We aim to fill the visible gaps, modernize our water economy, and ensure the participation of all stakeholders.
The validation workshop convened stakeholders including policymakers of Ministries, agencies, and departments concerned by the blue economy, private sector representatives, civil society representatives, development partners, and academics with the objectives to:
- Review and agree on the Action Plan of the National Blue Economy Strategy
- Improve coordination towards implementation of blue economy initiatives
- Review and agree on the data sources used in the toolkit
The workshop was officially opened by Mr. Abdulber Shemsu, Director General of, the Ethiopian Maritime Authority who highlighted that the initiative of Ethiopia to commit fully to the development of its blue economy resources is laudable, given its landlocked status. It recognises the potential of its 12 river basins and 30 lakes and carries avenues for improving the water-food-energy nexus, along with bringing social development to the community. It is already actively engaged and successful in related activities such as the maritime sector, hydropower, fisheries, soda, and lime extraction.
The workshop concluded successfully where the validation of the Action Plan to the National Blue Economy Strategy, and the UNECA Blue Economy Valuation Toolkit (BEVTK) assessment of Ethiopia were the highlights for the day.
The meeting was organized with financial support from the Government of Sweden, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) Project titled “Enhancing Blue Economy in the IGAD Coastal Member States for Biodiversity Conservations and Livelihood Diversification.”
