It has been two years since the Blue Economy Policy was launched in Zanzibar, with President Mwinyi making it one of his key agenda items during the election campaigns, and already the initiative is bearing fruit.
To make sure the agenda was not muzzled by other promises, a specific ministry was created for this sole purpose.
In his own words, then, ‘Zanzibar was a place of scarcity in the middle of plenty’ of resources that were underutilized for the benefit of its citizens, citing the example that chicken was cheaper than fish on the isles.
Records available at the Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) show a surge in the volumes of investments in the areas of tourism and fisheries on the isles, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Speaking to The Citizen, ZIPA’s Shida Makame said in the past two years they have registered 39 projects in the sectors of fisheries and tourism.
According to her, investments in the islets have attracted some $442 million, whereas investments in the processing of sea products, including fisheries, have so far brought in investments worth $18.26 million.