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Governor Nyong’o laments delay in opening revamped Kisumu port

Governor Nyong’o laments delay in opening revamped Kisumu port
The Kisumu port. Governor Anyang Nyongo has said the revamped port needs to open for business. PHOTO/Print
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Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o wants the revamped port in the lakeside city to open for business.

The delay, he lamented, was undermining efforts to tap into Kenya’s blue economy potential.

“I hope the government will listen to my voice and make sure that this precious resource to the blue economy is made lively and productive,” Nyong’o said.

“The Kisumu port will become much more dynamic in marine communication, trade and investments for posterity once it opens up for business.”

‘Waste of resources’

He added that it was “a waste of resources to see the Kenya Shipyard company doing its best to make ships yet the port is not facilitated for business”.

Nyong’o, who spoke on the last day of the second Aquatic Resources and Blue Economy Conference in Kisumu, urged collaboration in order to unlock the potential of the blue economy and spur economic growth

The governor said a lot more needed to be done to unlock the sector’s full potential.

“It is important to underscore how harnessing the potential in our water resources can unlock new opportunities for prosperity while safeguarding our natural resources for the future generation,” he said.

Local communities

He also emphasised the need to include local communities in order to ensure sustainable management of aquatic resources.

Initiative, he said, cannot succeed without the participation of locals.

The weeklong conference, organised by the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), ended with a call to action for sustainable aquatic practices and protection of blue economy resources.

During the conference, KMFRI unveiled its strategic plan for 2023-2027, detailing the development blueprint for marine resources.

The plan, anchored on five pillars, is expected to provide a roadmap for sustainable growth and innovation in blue economy research, said KMFRI board chairman John Safari Mumba.

The development blueprint is pegged on research and innovation, knowledge management and dissemination, resource mobilization and institutional capacity building, collaborations and partnerships and community and private sector management.

Innovative research

Mumba noted that his agency will continue to support innovative technological research geared to sustainable development.

“Our mission is to generate and disseminate scientific information for sustainable development for the blue economy and fisheries,” he said.

Delegates pushed innovative and scientific-driven solutions to the challenges of overfishing, pollution and habitat degradation.

The conference came as the government is exploring opportunities for commercialising Kenya’s enormous blue economy resources for the benefit of Kenyans.

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