Marine special plan implementation in offing

DAR ES SALAAM: IN a bid to strengthen the Blue Economy sector and ensure that marine resources become a good source of income for the country and individuals involved in it, the government is in the process of implementing a ten -year Marine Special Strategic Plan (2024–2034), it has been learnt.

An economist from the Vice-President’s Office, Mr Aloyce Mdenye, made the statement in Dar es Salaam recently during a one-day workshop on the National Blue Economy Policy and its Implementation Strategy, prepared by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Country Office.

The workshop brought together Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from coastal areas and other marine stakeholders from the mainland and Zanzibar.

Speaking about the policy and its implementation, Mr Mdenye mentioned the main areas addressed in the policy: development of resources, coordination, research, resource utilization, protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone and zoning.

He said the government was not benefiting from the marine sector as expected and one of the reasons was the lack of special coordination among activities in the sector, which include marine transportation, tourism and fishing.

“The government has seen the need to create policies and regulations that will enable the country and all individuals involved in the marine sector to benefit more by operating as one chain rather than separately, as they are working now,” he stated.

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He went on to say that the workshop aimed to build the capacity of CSOs by providing an understanding of the preparations for the Blue Economy Policy and how the challenges affecting the sector would be addressed.

Coastal and Ocean Resources Supervisor from the WWF Country Office, Dr Modesta Medard said that the workshop brought participants from both the mainland and Zanzibar to enable each side to learn from the other on ways to develop the sector.

Expounding further, she said that Tanzania has a long coastline and ocean divided into specific zones: the Core Zone, Specified User Zone and Common User Zone, all of which need to be conserved and protected against various hazards.

“There is a need to increase seriousness in the supervision, protection, and conservation of marine resources; otherwise, they will become extinct. Today, we have the opportunity to learn from our colleagues from the Zanzibar side on how they are succeeding in the Blue Economy sector, and we will use that experience to develop the sector on our side,” she explained.

One of the workshop participants, Mr Shabani Mayonzi, Chairperson of the Beach Management Unit (BMUs) Network from Mtwara District, Mtwara Region, congratulated the government for its efforts to involve different stakeholders in marine conservation; while promising to share the knowledge he had gained at the workshop with members of their union.