Scientists and researchers under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMEs and Africa) support programme converged in Mombasa for a three-day workshop to learn and create awareness on the role of earth observation satellites in supporting the Blue Economy.
State Department for Fisheries and Blue Economy, Deputy Director Rashid Imam, who represented Principal Secretary, Betsy Njagi, said the goal of the forum is to discuss the sustainability of the multiple services implemented under the GMES and Africa Project.
He added that they also aim to raise awareness about the usage and impact of GME services at the national and regional level, support cross-fertilization to encourage Consortia to Establish cooperation frameworks among themselves to share experience, knowledge, and good practices on successful services, as well as engage and strengthen the use of GMES and Africa services.
Giving his remarks during a presentation, Imam, who was representing the Principal Secretary, said that the use of earth observation (EO) and remote sensing technologies to obtain data on the state of the earth, which includes the physio-chemical and biological systems, is critical for planning to ensure there is a better understanding of the issues faced.
He said once processed, the data and information help in many policy areas.
Imam added that the use of EO data is key in developing best science-based policies and strategies for the sustainable use of our natural endowed coastal and marine resources that many countries have.
He noted that nations are also able to ensure that they develop strategies that protect the rich endowment of biological resources.
Imam said the blue economy sector is today facing multifaceted challenges, which include environmental and socio-economic, which become complex with time and interconnected.
“Although African countries have committed to addressing these challenges through national determined contributions, threats such as climate change experience in our country, informed of floods, droughts, pollution, among others, can be potential divers of poverty and food insecurity as well as malnutrition among vulnerable communities,” he said.
Further, he noted that the countries need up-to-date integrated information on the state of the earth.
He reiterated that the government established a specific department to investigate emerging challenges in the blue economy sector.
“The department of blue economy works very closely with the Kenya Space Agency for the betterment of our societies here in Kenya and also for the rest of the continent,” he added.
Imam said that the country has adopted and developed dedicated policies for space science and technology.
He pointed out that through these policy instruments, the government seeks to secure collaborations and partnerships and build human and institutional capacity in the areas of the blue economy and remote sensing.
He said that the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) has the prerequisite analytical capacity to deal with big data sets, which is critical in ensuring that they can translate large data sets into information and knowledge aimed at addressing the challenges in various areas of the economy.
“Through KMFRI we have technical experts with specialized training and capacity of generating real-time data on temperature, current, primary productivity, wave height, among other key oceanographic parameters,” he said.
He said that KMFRI has set up a ground-receiving satellite data station with the capacity of generating fishing advisories in the form of Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) for local fishermen.
Imam also stated that the country regards collaborations and partnerships in the areas of ocean science, technology, and innovation, including space science and technology, as a vehicle for facilitating knowledge sharing, developing prerequisite skills, and allowing for the diffusion of inventions and innovations in the country.
“Kenya aims to explore investment opportunities in these areas for the socio-economic development of our people,” added Imam.
The theme for the workshop is “Enabling sustainable development and inclusive growth using earth observation technologies towards Agenda 2063.”
GMEs and Africa is a joint programme co-financed by the European Commission and the African Union Commission.
