Turkana: Turkana County Executive for Trade, Gender, Youth Affairs, and Tourism, Roseline Aite, has stated that the blue economy sector has yet to be fully harnessed and that training would accelerate the entry of youth and women into the industry. She was speaking during a three-day training on business growth and market access opportunities for fish products from Lake Turkana.
According to Kenya News Agency, the training is expected to create a critical mass of qualified persons to utilise the upcoming industrial infrastructure, coinciding with the county’s plans to establish a fish processing industry in Kalokol. The initiative, led by TradeMark Africa and other partners with support from the Mastercard Foundation, concentrated on aspects such as fish trade policies, export standards requirements, market access and diversification, value addition, and financial solutions, specifically targeting individuals and groups engaged in the blue economy sector.
Roseline Aite emphasized the county’s commitment to encouraging the uptake of opportunities within the blue economy sector, urging trainees to diversify into aquaculture. She highlighted the program’s implementation in five other countries, thus expanding market opportunities for fish products from Turkana to Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC, and Nigeria. Aite stated, “As a county, we highly encourage youth and women-led groups to take up fishing as a means of livelihood.”
Maureen Wanyonyi, the team lead of the trainers from TradeMark Africa, stressed the importance of adopting digital solutions such as virtual markets to foster sector growth in Turkana. She advocated for fishing as a platform for wealth creation and enterprise development, with potential benefits for up to 242,000 youth and women.
The training aimed to address the traditional exclusion of women and youth-led groups from the fish sector, which has historically denied them job opportunities. Other implementing partners included Lattice Aquaculture Limited, the Association of Women in Fisheries Blue Economy Kenya (AWFBEK), Economy Microsave Global Consulting Limited, Kilimotrust, and the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network (AWFishNet).
Suzzane Njeri from AFWBEK noted that trainees acquired skills in mapping fish value chain locations, understanding and overcoming barriers to blue economy uptake, and working within approved policy and regulatory frameworks. Mike Nakuwa, the Turkana Chapter Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) representative, described the training as timely, as it provided skills necessary to grow a fisheries industry.