World Maritime Day: Solid policies must power sector

Kenya must turn its blue economy ambitions into action to unlock jobs, investment and maritime growth. [AFP]

On Thursday, September 24, countries will mark World Maritime Day at a time when international shipping remains the conveyor belt of global commerce, carrying more than 80 per cent of world trade to markets and communities across continents.

For Kenya, this should be more than another international observance. Every container discharged at the Mombasa Port, every vessel repaired in a local yard, every Kenyan seafarer earning a living at sea and every tonne of cargo moving to our landlocked neighbours tells us that maritime affairs are not peripheral to the economy.