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Africa Day of Oceans and Seas |26 July 2019

Africa Day of Oceans and Seas

Vice-President Meriton

‘Africa forward into a blue future’

 

To mark the Africa Day of Oceans and Seas which was celebrated yesterday, July 25, Vice-President Vincent Meriton, in his capacity as the minister responsible for the Blue Economy, has sent the following message:

“Africa is surrounded by the oceanic expanses of the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, and by two semi-enclosed seas, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, upon which we rely heavily. The statistics of our reliance are; territorial waters some 13 million km2, with continental shelves extending over a total area of some 6.5 million km2. There are 38 coastal and island states and a coastline of over 47,000 km, of which Seychelles forms part. Embarking on the Blue Economy pathway to prosperity reflects the very strong will that we have to value our seas and oceans. We will not just take, and we are moving towards a management plan that promotes sustainable use and leans heavily on conservation for future generations.

“The African Day of Seas and Oceans is THE celebration dedicated to the promotion of the protection for the ocean environment and its constituent marine biodiversity. During the 22nd African Union (AU) summit, the period from 2015 – 2025 was designated as the 'Decade of African Seas and Oceans' and this date, July 25, as the African Day of Seas and Oceans. It is an event formulated in response to one of the recommendations of the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS), the broad framework for the protection and sustainable exploitation of Seas and Oceans of Africa.

“As a member state of the African Union, Seychelles is following the AIMS 2050 Agenda. In November 2018, at the 11th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union held in Addis Ababa, the President of the Republic of Seychelles, H.E. Danny Faure, was appointed as the African Union Champion for Blue Economy. Therefore, Seychelles champions the promotion of the Blue Economy in Africa as a whole to promote the sustainable use of the available marine resources. Seychelles has already, as of October 2018, launched its Seychelles Blue Economy Strategic Policy Framework and Roadmap, laying down the steps to establishing a blue future. Seychelles has shown commitment and is having 30% of its 1.37 million square kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone, a total 400,000 km, protected by the end of 2020. Aside from the marine protected areas, this means that the first Seychelles Marine Spatial Plan Atlas is nearing completion and a total of 43 maps are being produced, including new maps for archipelagic island groups, ocean surface currents, bathymetry, industrial tuna fisheries and seabird colonies which will help in knowing exactly how to continue with responsibilities to the marine ecosystems. In its quest to spearhead the blue economy concept, the country has explored innovative forms of financing and established two distinctive finance models unique to the concept. The debt-for-climate swap and the Seychelles Blue Bonds win awards for being avant garde financing tools. The beating blue heart of the country echoes the crashing of the waves on to our shores which highlights our marine exploits.

“Happy Africa Day of Seas and Oceans, Africa forward into a blue future.”

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