Blue Economy department interacts with local media   |27 January 2024

The workshop in progress

To kick off its calendar of activities for 2024, the Department of Blue Economy hosted a half-day workshop for representatives of the local media aimed at enhancing the latter’s understanding of their work.

Its primary objective was to enhance collaboration between the Department of Blue Economy and the media as it presented a valuable opportunity for the media to gain insights into the dossiers of the Seychelles’ Blue Economy, enabling the journalists to prepare in-depth articles and comprehensive coverage.

The media personnel was welcomed by Jean-François Ferrari, Designated Minister overseeing the department, who expressed the department’s desire to establish effective communication channels with the media, stating, “sometimes we expect the media to convey our news, but when it does not align with our intentions, it can be frustrating. Today, we aim to initiate a dialogue with the media, understanding their needs and determining how we, as a department, can be more proactive and facilitate each other’s work”.

This was echoed by principal secretary Philliane Ernesta, who highlighted the department’s various initiatives since its establishment in 2015, some of which have been award-winning and have helped boost Seychelles into a leadership role.

“The media is one of the medium for us to collaborate with to make our activities known,” said Ms Ernesta.

During the half-day workshop, Director General Chrissant Barbe delivered a presentation on Seychelles’ Blue Economy, explaining the department’s mandate which is to provide strategic direction and coordination for its implementation.

Various presentations were made on topics such as Circular Economy by Kim Samy, Marine Biotechnology by Abel Sorry, Extented Continental Shelf by Chrissant Barbe, the Coordination of Ocean Governance and Management projects by Terrence Crea, Bluebonds by Danielle Jupiter and Blue Economy, cross cutting projects by Gabriella Gonthier.

The workshop included a session for questions and answers, allowing media representatives to share their challenges in obtaining information.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme