MARINE AND BLUE ECONOMY SPACE WILL CREATE MILLIONS OF JOBS FOR AFRICA -AMBASSADOR LAPENN 04-09-23
By Sadiq Aminu The United States has described the creation of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as an initiative that will not only boost the economy but also pay attention to the actualization of the Sustainable development Goals.
A Senior Coordinator for Atlantic Cooperation, United States Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Ambassador Jessye Lapenn stated this in Abuja during a media roundtable.
Ambassador Lapenn who said she was in Nigeria being a leader in the ocean space, as a follow up to the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation between countries bodering the Atlantic Ocean, to interface with the minister of Marine and Blue economy, to explore areas of collaboration.
The Atlantic cooperation was created on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States, which outlined for participating countries the Promotion of scientific cooperation by sharing information, building capacity, and increasing access to technology on voluntary and mutually agreed terms.
Ambassador Lapenn explained that the countries in the Atlantic cooperation would work together to address the challenges of climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation, collaborating on science-based, innovative solutions to advance their shared goals.
She said a scholarship and exchange program would be established through the cooperation to foster excellence and to build ties among the next generation of scientists.
The declaration for Atlantic cooperation was released by the Governments of Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Costa Rica and Cote d’Ivoire.
Others include Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana and Iceland.
Other participating countries in the Atlantic Cooperation are Ireland, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, and Portugal, others included the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Spain, Togo, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.