ECONOMIC MADE SIMPLE : Unpacking the Blue Economy Concept in THE Tanzanian Context

There have been various concepts in the development of economics as a discipline. Among the relatively new and emerging concept in this context is the concept of blue economy. It is a term emerging in the worlds of policy, academia and practice.

Among the platforms in which the concept has received considerable traction in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). This is a platform of all about twenty countries washed by the Indian Ocean.

They are weaved together by the Indian Ocean, which acts as the fabric that holds these countries together.

The blue economy concept is arguably very little unknown. More importantly its potentials for development of countries washed by seas and oceans is arguably not known and therefore underutilized. In this piece the blue economy concept is unpacked in Tanzanian context.

Blue economy

There is no one globally accepted description let alone definition of the term blue economy. It means different things to different people and organisations. However there are several general and similar characteristics of what blue economy means from various schools of thoughts.

It has been described as a term related to exploitation and preservation of marine environment. It has been defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources of all kinds for the purposes of attaining economic growth, having improved livelihoods and creating direct and indirect employment but at the same preserving the health of ocean ecosystem that mainly consists of aquatic flora and fauna.

It is also defined as all economic activities related to our several and different oceans, seas and coasts. The concept is preoccupied with encouragement of better stewardship of oceans and seas and resources associated with them.

It is concerned with the overall contribution of oceans to local and global economies and environmental and ecological sustainability of oceans. It means the use of the sea and its resources for sustainable economic development and any economic activity in the maritime sector, whether sustainable or not.

Ocean versus blue economy

A concept that is closely related but different from blue economy is ocean economy. The two have been used interchangeably to mean one and the same thing by some organisations and individuals. However, there are some fundamental differences between the two.

The concept of ocean economy is limited to the use of ocean resources. On its part, the blue economy concept looks at not only the ocean economy solely as a mechanism for economic growth but also on sustainability of oceans for economic growth. Contrary to ocean economy, blue economy includes ecological as well as economic aspects of oceans and seas.

The Tanzanian context

The blue economy concept might be new by name. However, it is not new in the context of what is done within what has come to be known as blue economy. Basic activities performed in and constituting the blue economy have arguably been around for time immemorial.

They have however evolved, gotten shaped and re-shaped over time. We therefore have several generations of these activities comprising very basic and rudimental ones to very advanced ones.

In Tanzanian context, typical blue economy activities would include almost all economic activities taking place within and around the Indian Ocean. The activities include fishing of all types and sizes; aquaculture; transportation by various types and sizes of vehicles; water harvesting and waste disposal; water sports and leisure including diving and snorkeling; oil and gas exploration and drilling; ships and boats building and repear; ports and harbours activities in very broad sense including planning, construction and operations; research and development; insurance and many other activities such as mining including salt mining. What is common in all these activities is the ocean which is the platform and axis around which these activities are rotating.

Way forward

It is high time that Tanzania takes the blue economy concept very seriously as a new framework around which to build the country’s economy. For this to be successful however, the concept has to be very well understood and supported. Since there are countries that have embraced the concept and practiced it in a very focused way, Tanzania can learn from them.

With the African IORA countries for example, South Africa has gone a very long way in unpacking and practicing this concept in the name and shape of Operation Phakisa. Tanzania should take a leaf or two from South Africa’s and avoid reinventing the wheel.