Seychelles takes part in marine economy expo and forum in China |17 October 2019

Mr Racombo (4th from right) among the panellists

Kenneth Racombo, the principal secretary for the blue economy, was invited as a guest speaker and panelist in one of the plenary sessions at a marine economy expo and forum which took place in China recently.

Mr Racombo’s presentation was entitled ‘Innovation and cooperation boost high quality development of marine economy’.

In his introductory remarks, the moderator made reference to Seychelles’ formulation of the Blue Economy Strategic Framework and Roadmap before handing over to Mr Racombo to share the Seychelles experience and practices in the development of the blue economy.

In his address, Mr Racombo highlighted Seychelles’ rationale and conceptualisation of this concept as well as the pursued strategies, milestones and challenges encountered thus far.

He equally provided an overview of the strategic partnerships that the country has forged to enable its successful launching of innovative projects such as the Marine Spatial Plan, the Blue Bonds and the Debt Swap.

The 2019 China Marine Economy Expo and International Marine Economy Cooperation and Development Forum that was spearheaded by China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, was held on October 15 and 16, 2019 in Shenzhen, China. The opening ceremony witnessed an approximated 650 participants in total hailing from both government and private sectors.

Moreover, since the forum equally presented opportunities for networking Mr Racombo also engaged in bilateral talks with other delegates, such as with the delegation from Cambodia, to explore possible areas for cooperation and to further advance Seychelles’ blue economy agenda.