Setting policy agenda for blue economy policy in Tanzania

Abstract

Tanzania enjoys benefits of having 1,424 km from Tanga to Mtwara along the Indian ocean, rich on natural marine resources including ocean waters, beaches, harbours and ports along the Indian ocean, where imports and exports, fishing, tourism and marine transportation to neighbouring landlocked country and many other marine-based economic activities could flourish. However, there is no specific National policy guiding the blue economy to guide the Tanzania’s marine resource economy. The objective of this article is threefold; to provide evidence from scholarly works that informs the role of Blue economy in Tanzania; to identify specific socio-economic sectors with potential for exploring Blue economy potentials; and three to set up a policy agenda for the establishment of a National Blue economy policy. The study applied explorative as well as descriptive design for capturing both qualitative and quantitative data. The target population was the marine transport, energy, tourism and fisheries sectors. A purposeful sampling technique was adopted because it enabled selection of key informants with rich information on economic activities in the Indian ocean bordering Tanzania coast. The study applies mixed methods of bibliometric analysis, interview, and desk top review. This article sets a policy agenda for the needed policy to guide blue economy for a country with access to Indian Ocean. The article examines the potential opportunities for developing blue economy in the key economic sectors. Tanzania has the geographical advantage to the Indian Ocean covering potential sectors of Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Natural resources and Tourism, Ministry of Energy, and Ministry of Industries and Trade. The article sets a policy agenda that the abundant resources in the Indian Ocean including fish, oil and gas requires a guiding policy for harnessing resources sustainably. Nevertheless, the missing link is there is missing policy for harnessing the unexploited potentials in the ocean. This paper instigates to set a blue economy policy in Tanzania because there many unleashed potentials across the Indian Ocean for the socio-economic development in Tanzania. The research concluded that although the government of the United Republic of Tanzania supports blue economy, there is a need to reactivate and promote the blue economy in practical terms. This can be achieved through holistic multi-sectoral policy, planning and coordination of key sectors in the blue economy. This article recommends for policy to manage sustainable blue economy in Tanzania, which is an emerging, but remain unleashed potential for the country’s socio-economic development. Since in there is a policy vacuum to develop a blue economy, an agenda for multi-sectoral blue economy policy should be considered for harnessing marine resources sustainably to meet both the national development goals as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.