Video Speech by H.E Lidia Cardoso, the Minister of Sea, Inland waters and Fisheries of Republic of Mozambique on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Video Speech by H.E Lidia Cardoso, the Minister  of Sea, Inland waters and Fisheries of Republic of Mozambique on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

21 November, 2022

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

It is with great honour that, on behalf of the Government of Mozambique, we take part in this forum. 

I would like to thank the Government of China for the invitation and to congratulate the country on the Global Development Initiative (GDI), which is an important milestone in the promotion of development and cooperation between China and the countries in the Indian Ocean region. 

The slogan chosen for this event, which is Shared Development: Theory and Practice from the Perspective of Blue Economy, is quite timely in view of the dynamics that have characterised maritime affairs and the transition to the blue economy in our countries and globally, and it is therefore an opportunity for us to share our interventions in this context. 

The Blue Economy is a strategic issue, part of the agenda of the Government of Mozambique, countries of the Western Indian Ocean , SADC, African Union and relevant cooperation partners that are already in Africa and the world as a whole and Mozambique in particular, and it represents a great opportunity to boost the results of sectoral public policies. 

Mozambique brings together unique characteristics that place the country as a strategic player for the global development of the Blue Economy, namely: 

●Our 2,700 km coastline is one of the longest in Africa, a maritime territory of 572,000 km², as well as 13,000 km² of inland waters and several biodiversity hotspots; 

●Important local and international transport links via the Mozambique Channel (MC), with three container ports, Maputo, Beira and Nacala, strategically located and linked to inland road and rail corridors; 

●Fringing coral reefs in the northern region, 35 percent of the Indian Ocean region, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows in the central region, with high potential to increase the value of ecosystem services; 

●Mozambique's unique coastal and marine assets represent great potential for attracting international tourism. With 2.87 million visitors in 2018, representing revenues of US$241 million to the economy, marine and coastal tourism development offers opportunities for future growth and employment. 

●The huge potential for aquaculture with a vast hydrographic network and marine area, however, is still an incipient activity and practiced in a dispersed and subsistence manner, by communities, with a weak presence of commercial producers. At the same time, semi-industrial and industrial extractive fisheries at sea and inland waters also concentrate unique opportunities upstream or downstream of the value chain. 

The Government of Mozambique has been committed to the consistent sustainable development of the Blue Economy. In the political, strategic and institutional sphere related to the oceans, we have recorded important progress, among which the following deserve to be highlighted: 

●Within the political and strategic scope: From 2017 to 2020, approval of the Sea Policy and Strategy, establishment of the International Platform for Dialogue on Oceans and Blue Economy; Mangrove Management Strategy; Approval of the Aquaculture Development Strategy and the Blue Economy Development Strategy, now under preparation. 

●Within the legal framework: Approval of the Law of the Sea (2019); Regulation on Marine Research and Scientific Research (2019); Regulation establishing the Legal Framework for the Use of National Maritime Space (2017); Regulation on Management and Planning of the Coastal Zone and Beaches (2020); and Maritime Spatial Planning Plan(2021). 

●Within the scope of institutional reforms: Creation of the Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (2015), the Blue Economy Development Fund (2019), the National Sea Institute (2021), the Oceanographic Institute of Mozambique (2021) and the National Sea Council - CNM (2020). 

In addition to the aforementioned progresses, it is important to mention that the operationalization of the Blue Economy initiatives requires an objective and pragmatic approach, and the process of preparing the blue economy development strategy is underway in the country, aiming to guide this new approach. 

At this point, for the funding of the Blue Economy, Mozambique is guided by 07 (seven) principles to base its choices on: (i) integrated and self-sustainable approach; (ii) intersectoriality; (iii) engagement of the private sector; (iv) diversification of the economy and expansion or replication; (v) social inclusion; (vi) environmental impact and resilience; (vii) compatibility with existing public policies. 

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, 

We are aware that it is not possible to bet on the transition to the Blue Economy in isolation, we need to look around us. Good investment practices are already successfully executed in other countries and approaches designed by multilateral and bilateral institutions, focusing on climate change, ocean governance, inclusive growth that looks equally at communities, gender equity and the private sector, are important sources for refining our interventions. 

The focus areas of the Global Development Initiative , namely (i) fight against poverty (ii) food security (iii) climate change and (iv) green development, which are part of the priorities of the initiative, also meet the challenges that Mozambique faces, especially in matters related to the oceans. Despite significant progress, strategic action is needed, with a long term vision, in critical issues such as (i) ocean governance, (ii) ocean literacy, (iii) monitoring, enforcement and surveillance, (iv) management of marine and coastal resources and (v) the development of green infrastructure, capable of creating new circular economic models, focused on sustainability and the creation of alternative livelihoods and community development. In this last aspect, to highlight that the coastal tourism sector surely has enormous potential to play a leading role in the national Blue Economy. 

Lastly, I am confident that this forum is an important platform for the exchange of experiences and the identification of opportunities for cooperation and coordination with a view to achieving common and individual country objectives in the context of the blue economy agenda.