July 4, 2022, Sabaloga, River Nile State in Sudan. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) today launched the National Validation Workshop on the Baseline Assessment Report of the Contribution of Blue Economy to the Sustainable Economic Development of Sudan.
Representatives from various ministries and institutions related to the Blue Economy (BE) sectors in the Government of Sudan are attending this three-day workshop. The following are the key institutions participating: Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (national institution in charge of coordinating BE in Sudan), Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, Ministry of Oil and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry , Ministry of Animal Resources, Seas Ports Authority, Ministry of Media, Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Statistic Center, Sudan High Council for Environment, Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, National Electricity Authority, Red Sea University, the Sudanese Business Federation and finally the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-IGAD Desk,
The workshop will capture contributions from the different sectors of Blue Economy for the national economic development of Sudan. The Baseline report which was presented by a national consultant will be updated through group discussions and thorough review of the document. The updated baseline report will serve as an input to develop the National Blue Economy Strategy for Sudan and will be aligned with the 5-years IGAD regional strategy document that was endorsed by the Ministers from all IGAD member countries in Charge of Blue Economy coordination in April 2022.
The welcoming remarks from IGAD side were made by Dr. Wassie Anteneh, Regional Fisheries Management Expert. He emphasized that IGAD is working to be the champion REC in promoting Blue Economy in the region. The official opening was made by Mr. Elhadi Omer Mohamed, Director General for regional Development Administration in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. He stressed that Sudan has huge Blue Economy potential in both marine and inland water bodies and will work with IGAD to utilize the potential sustainably.
The expected outputs of the workshop are:
- Missing data/information filled in;
- National Blue Economy report validated;
- Input to IGAD Blue Economy regional report; and
The national Blue Economy baseline reports of the IGAD Member States were developed with financial support from the European Union. The national level validation workshop is supported by the Project “Enhancing Blue Economy in the IGAD Coastal Member States for Biodiversity Conservations and Livelihood diversification” financed by the Government of Sweden.
Background
The project “Enhancing Blue Economy in the IGAD Coastal Member States for Biodiversity Conservations and Livelihood diversification” funded by the Government of Sweden is premised to contribute to the following outcome “the capacity of IGAD and its Member States strengthened by structuring and mainstreaming the BE at both national and regional levels while increasing cooperation and regional integration, and strengthening support to the member states to develop their own national BE strategies.