The European Union Heads of Missions undertook a tour of the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani region from 15th to 19th May 2023. This mission was undertaken with National Government Led by the Deputy President and Heads of Mission from EU led by the EU Ambassador, H.E. Henriette Geiger to highlight achievements and potential interests on Blue Economy including showcasing achievements so far in this sector achieved by Go Blue, identifying areas of potential future investments in Kenya and interacting with the Civil Society Organizations at the Coast.

So far, through the respective Implementing Partners, the Go Blue project, funded by the European Union, has achieved tremendous achievements in the three components; Go blue Growth, Go Blue environment, and Go Blue Marine Security.

Go Blue Growth – AICS, GIZ, CAMOES IP

Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)

Cassava Value Chain Enhancement: The building and equipping of the cassava processing plant at Magodi in Kwale County will support over 50 farmers to bulk their cassava produce, process it, add value, and sell it either as chips or flour. This will go a long way to address the issue of food insecurity and enhance money in the pockets of cassava farmers. The planned construction of cassava processing facility at Matsangoni, Kilifi County is also underway.

GIZ (Germany)

Recently, the first Kenyan Level 6 Aquaculture TVET curriculum that includes mariculture has been developed and accredited and rolled out in collaboration with Pwani University. Out of this, 4 short courses are being provided in 6 partner VTCs. Additional investment has been made in setting up the first milkfish hatchery in Mtwapa (Kilifi), being undertaken to increase production and productivity.

Camoes IP (Portugal) - Tourism & Cultural Heritage

The delegation visited the Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forest Managed by the Kaya Kinondo Forest Conservation Organisation, one the 16 Go Blue | Tourism and Cultural Heritage grantees, a self-help group in Kinondo village, Kinondo ward, Msambweni Sub County of Kwale County Kenya. This project aims to enhance tourist experiences in and around the Kaya Kinondo sacred forest in ways that not only promotes and preserves the local heritage, but also creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the locals, especially women and youth. Camões IP was represented by the Portuguese Ambassador in Nairobi, Ana Filomena Rocha, during the HoM's visits to the coastal region.

The process of developing the Jumuiya TCH Blueprint is at an advanced stage, with the Draft committee responsible for leading the regional action plan compiling the Blueprint. A multi-sectoral workshop and consultation with key stakeholders have already been done and the Jumuiya TCH Blueprint is expected to be completed and launched by September 2023.

Go Blue Environment - UN Environment & UN-Habitat

During the recent visit of EU Heads of Mission, an important milestone was achieved in tackling the solid waste management challenges faced by Taita Taveta County. The dignitaries had the opportunity to witness the innovative Go Blue intervention by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN-Habitat during their visit to the Chakaleri disposal site in Voi. The joint project aims to establish an operational Material Recovery Facility (MRF) through the Civil Society Urban Development Platform (CSUDP), an implementing partner of UN-Habitat.

The MRF, designed to boost and reactivate material recovery, will operate on a business model that focuses on engaging waste actors, particularly women and youth involved in the recycling industry. This initiative seeks to enhance their business environment and create employment opportunities. Upon completion, the project is expected to provide active employment to over 200 waste actors, contributing to the material recycling enterprise anchored on the MRF Business Model. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the material recovery rates from the County's waste stream will increase from the current 1% to over 5%.

Go Blue Maritime Security - Expertise France

The maritime security component, implemented by Expertise France, has recorded over the past months huge strides. In order to improve maritime security and safety in Kenya, about 848 fishers have participated in maritime safety trainings and got equipped with lifejackets and watertight phone bags to increase their safety at sea. In close collaboration with the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), a Community Watch Programme has been established whereby 26 Beach Management Units (BMUs) got trained on maritime law enforcement using a community-government partnership model. This has included the development of a first-of-its-kind coastal application Usalama Baharini to facilitate communication between coastal communities and maritime law enforcement actors as well as making it easy for the fisher communities to report any suspicious activity at sea or maritime safety incidents.

Expertise France is supporting the Bandari Maritime Academy with the development of various interagency curricula on different topics related to maritime governance, including Maritime Domain Awareness; Monitoring, Control and Surveillance; Illegal, Unreported and Undocumented fishing; Search and Rescue; and Maritime Pollution prevention and fighting. These activities are part of the actions to improve the interagency cooperation and collaboration between maritime security agencies in Kenya.

Lastly, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and Expertise France have signed a capacity-building agreement to support Search and Rescue activities, which will include various trainings and delivery of equipment along the Kenyan coast to save people in distress at sea.