By Audrey Raymonda John
The Sierra Leone Maritime Authority (SLMA) has concluded a two days’ workshop on leveraging and optimizing opportunities and potentials in the Maritime domain and blue economy in Sierra Leone on Tuesday 5th March 2024.
The deputy minister of fisheries and marine resources Hon. Haja Isata Abdulai Kamara said the World Bank has divided the two economies as a sustainable means of crouch resources that can provide economic growth and improve livelihoods for citizens.
According to her the maritime domain and blue economy has an ecosystem that can provide health and nutritious remedies to people.
She went to note that the blue economy included all resources and rules of service at quantum and it can only be achieved through the main streaming of the maritime issues.
Madam Abdulai said such mainstreaming should be conveyed through the traditional media which will enable us increase our opportunities in Sierra Leone as a major source of financial support.
She called on SLMA, Sierra Leone ports authority, ministry of environment, ministry of transport and aviation and many other MDA`s to work in collaboration.
The deputy minister said the main Streaming and collaboration will help to promote the goods and services in the sector including biodiversity tourism, fisheries and harboring culture, postal manufacturing, seabird mining, energy, oil and gas production, medicine, port and shipping etc.
According to her all these activities will help them to deliver the government agenda of food security because the fishing and Herbal culture production will contribute towards food and nutrition security.
She said our ocean has abundant fisheries resources with over four hundred and fifty thousand metrics tones of fisheries resources.
According to data, she reveals that fishermen can only catch less that number but went to express optimism that fishing would be done in a sustainable manner.
She said they generated over one hundred million new Leones every year but in 2023 they generated over one hundred and eleven million new Leones. With the right initiatives, she said fishing and herbal culture will improve employment for over two million young people in Sierra Leone.
The minister explains that climate change and the cutting of mangoes trees will suppress the fish to give birth and went on to note that they are going to implement closing sessions for one month where fishing trawlers will not be allowed to fishing.
Madam Abdulai said such a move will increase the fishing stocks and transform the blue economy to fight against hunger, achieve food security and promote good health.
The representative from the media, Robert Kargbo presented a paper on the role of the media in promoting awareness of the Blue Economy (BE) to keep pace with the Africa Agenda 2063.
Mr Kargbo extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration, organizers of the seminar for effective collaboration with key stakeholders including the media on Grappling with the challenges of mainstreaming of maritime domain and Blue Economy activities and projects.
“According to one-time American President Thomas Jefferson, the media is the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral and social being; while Malcolm X said the media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that is power, because they control the minds of the masses,” he made reference to the importance of the media.
“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, our host the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration is an open registry accepting worldwide ship owners and various types of vessels that meet the Sierra Leone standards in accordance with Merchant Shipping Act of 2003,”he explains.
The Maritime Administration was established by an Act of Parliament in the year 2000, being an Act to establish an autonomous body for the Registration of ships and other vessels, the licensing and safety of maritime personnel and for the Regulation and development generally of maritime, coastal and inland water transport and for other matters connected therewith.
It is also guided by other regulations such as the Carriage of Deck Passengers Act, 1961, the Registration of shipping Act 1965, and the Merchant shipping Act 2003. The Administration is also steered by International Maritime conventions, codes and other relevant Instruments.
The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) is an autonomous body responsible for several crucial functions related to maritime affairs in Sierra Leone including Ship Registration, Licensing and Safety of Maritime Personnel, Marine Environment Protection, Regulation and Development of Maritime Transport and Collaboration with Stakeholders among others.
Mr Karbgo went on to dilate and elaborate further on the important role the media can play in promoting the maritime domain and blue economy.
His statement can be perused below:
“Please permit me to first and foremost define what Maritime Domain and the Blue Economy are, in other to put into perspective the thrust of this keynote address.
When experts talk about Maritime Domain, they are talking about all areas and elements associated with the sea, oceans, or other navigable waterways. It includes everything on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on these water bodies. And when we are talking about the Blue Economy, we are talking about the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation, while also preserving the health of marine and coastal ecosystems.
On the other hand, it also encompasses a wide range of activities associated with the oceans and seas.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen; from the two definitions, you might have realized that there is a connection between Maritime Domain and the Blue Economy. The two are related to seas and oceans and how they can be utilized for economic growth, improve livelihoods, and job creations for the citizens of any nation that has boundaries with a sea or an ocean of which Sierra Leone is not an exception.
The purpose of this keynote address is to highlight the challenges of mainstreaming Maritime Domain and Blue Economy activities and projects by the media.
Notwithstanding, the Media can be known by the technology through which it operates; as such, we have the traditional media which are the Print and Electronic Media. Today, we also have the new media which many people referred to as social media and which has been made possible by the internet and digitalization.
Most times, when media people talk, people will tell you that the role of the media is to educate, to entertain and to inform.
According to a media scholar, James Curran, there are two approaches to understanding the media: Liberal and Radical Approaches. In the Classical Liberal Approach, the media is being deemed as the one controlling the public sphere. The Public Sphere is the space between the government and the society in which individuals exercise control formal and informal over the state. Formal Control can be done through elections of government while informal control can be done through the pressure of public opinion.
The media is central to this process of controlling the public sphere as it distributes the information necessary for the citizens to make an informed choice covertly and overtly. The media facilitates the formation of public opinion by providing an independent forum for debate and enable the people to shape the conduct of government by articulating their views. It is for this singular reason the media is being dubbed as the Fourth Estate of the realm.
Whilst the Liberal Approach believes that the media is a permanent Guard Duty, patrolling against the abuse of executive power and safeguarding individual liberty.
On the other hand, the radical approach says that the role of the media goes beyond the liberal views. Intellectuals in these opinions believe that the media is a battleground between controlling forces. Whilst, the Radical Approach believes that the media is countervailing agency-the media exposes wrong doing, correct injustice, subject to critical public scrutiny the exercise of power and seek to redress the imbalance of power.
Between the Liberal and the Radical Approach, the Blue Economy can best be fit into the Liberal School because the Maritime wants the Media to talk about their achievements and challenges.
Mr Chairman, Members of the high table, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, giving the increasing importance of the Blue Economy and Maritime issues, especially during this time when the world is facing serious threats from climate change; it is significant to know how the Blue Economy or perhaps the Maritime and seas operations are being reported.
Therefore, as a result of the potential implications of maritime activities in Sierra Leone, it is imperative for us to know how crucial the media is in the Blue Economy and how the media can mainstream maritime issues so that the public will understand them.
Meanwhile, it is good for us to know that it is not only in Sierra Leone that those maritime operations about Blue Economy is either being under-reported and not reported at all. In Sierra Leone, most of the news about Maritime Operations are negative stories and mostly derived from the Auditor General Reports and ignoring the people to know about the significance of Sierra Leone Maritime Administration operations.
Having this fair knowledge about the Maritime Domain and the Blue Economy; it is also good to understand how they can be localized. That localization can be seen in the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration working alongside with the media.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, with the above function; one may clearly see that the Maritime Administration has a preventive role. But this preventive role cannot be done without public education and outreach and for which the media are critical.
Sub-Section 2(N) of Section 10 which states that another function of the administration is to initiate action for the promotion, establishment, and development of private shipping lines. Promotion is also linked with the media.
The role of the media in mainstreaming Maritime Domain and Blue Economy are as follows:
- ADVOCACY JOURNALISM – This is a non-objective journalism in which the media and journalists can be solicited to promote the views and ideas of the blue economy and maritime operation in positive manner. This journalism is been described as a win-win journalism for all parties.
- FACILITATIVE JOURNALISM: This is saying that media is being used to facilitate activities of government and institution. Here the media are more of lap dog than attack dog wherein they promote the interest of the principal. In this case the media can be used to promote the activities of the Sierra Leone Maritime and its operations and not just concentrate on the negatives.
- THE MEDIA AS VEHICLE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: Maritime terminologies are difficult to understand even for the educated not to talk about the uneducated. Sierra Leone is made up of over 60% electricity. There is a great need for public education on maritime activities which can be done through the media.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, for the media to be able to play these roles, the SLMA has some responsibilities which are as follows:
- Regular Training of Journalists on General Maritime Administration and functions of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration
- Involve Journalists and CSOs in the prevention mechanism of maritime pollution and safety issues across the country
- Ensure that public education is key in its day to day running of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration particularly in rolling out its activities.
- To maximize the potential of shipping in the blue economy, Sierra Leone must invest in developing port infrastructure, building technical capacity through training programmes, and simplifying administrative procedures and attract foreign direct investment.
- Cooperation with international organizations and neighbouring countries can also contribute to knowledge sharing and capacity building. With capacity building and logistical support, the Sierra Leone media can continue to effectively collaborate with the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration for promoting the blue economy activities and projects.
Conclusively, with the above, the media will be able to mainstream maritime activities and blue economy in Sierra Leone. If these actions are taken into considerations in a win-win manner, then SLMA will benefit immensely from the media particularly in changing long time wrong perceptions about the administration.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, from what I have been explaining, I believe you may now notice that there is always a connection between Maritime Domain and the Blue Economy with the media contributing to the mainstreaming”.
