Zanzibar Hosts Blue Economy Workshop for Ocean Sustainability

Zanzibar is hosting a groundbreaking workshop where policymakers, researchers, and business leaders are mapping out how to grow Tanzania's ocean economy while keeping the seas healthy for generations to come.

The 29th Annual Research Workshop opened today in Zanzibar, gathering experts from across Tanzania and around the world. The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, along with REPOA, the National Planning Commission, and CRDB Bank, organized the two-day event to explore how coastal and marine resources can drive economic growth without environmental damage.

Zanzibar's Second Vice President Hemed Suleiman Abdulla officially opened the forum. Captain Hamad Bakar Hamad, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, told journalists the workshop creates space for experts to share research and policy ideas focused on unlocking economic potential while ensuring sustainability and social inclusion.

The timing couldn't be better. Both Tanzania's Union Government and Zanzibar's government are actively strengthening policies and investment frameworks to support the blue economy sector, which includes fisheries, tourism, maritime transport, renewable energy, and aquaculture.

Zanzibar has already made significant progress with its Blue Economy Policy and Implementation Strategy. These frameworks guide how the island can benefit from ocean resources while protecting them, creating a model other coastal regions can follow.

The Ripple Effect: This workshop connects Tanzania's ocean strategy to two major long-term visions. Discussions will align blue economy opportunities with Tanzania Vision 2050 and Zanzibar Development Vision 2050, ensuring ocean health supports the country's broader development goals for decades to come.

Participants are learning from countries that have successfully built sustainable ocean economies. International experts from the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Seychelles, Mauritius, South Africa, and Indonesia are sharing best practices that Tanzania can adapt to its unique coastal environment.

The forum brings together an impressive mix of voices. Development partners, private sector leaders, academics, and civil society representatives are all at the table, ensuring solutions work for communities, businesses, and the environment.

Captain Hamad emphasized the workshop aims to identify both opportunities and challenges within Tanzania's blue economy. The goal is practical action that creates jobs, protects marine ecosystems, and ensures coastal communities benefit from the ocean resources surrounding them.

For Tanzania, a country with extensive coastline and rich marine biodiversity, getting the blue economy right means sustainable prosperity for millions of people whose livelihoods depend on healthy oceans.