One hundred and four (104) young people from the five French-speaking countries of the Indian Ocean are gathering in Seychelles to participate in the regional youth forum on entrepreneurship in the blue economy which takes place from February 27 to March 3.
The kick-off of the forum was given this Monday at the International Conference Center by the Seychellois Minister of Youth, Sports and Family, Marie-Céline Zialor, in the presence of Ambassador Léonard Émile Ognimba, representative of the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) for the Indian Ocean, Seychellois ministers, distinguished guests and young people from Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion, Comoros and Madagascar.
The forum under the theme “Enterprising and committed youth for a blue future in Indianoceania” is organized by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and Seychelles, a country considered to be a pioneer of the blue economy in Africa and in Indian Ocean.
The blue economy is also one of the priorities of La Francophonie and the island states of the Indian Ocean.
This unique event in the Indian Ocean region follows the visit of the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Madame Louise Mushikiwabo, in September 2022, during which the themes of the blue economy and youth employment were at the fore. heart of the exchanges with the high Seychellois authorities.
The objective of this initiative is to bring together young entrepreneurs and promoters of projects that generate decent and sustainable jobs in the blue economy sectors.
Addressing the guests and young entrepreneurs, Minister Zialor said that the meeting aims to build the capacities of young people and give them the guidance they need to carry out their projects and make their contributions to the development of economies and societies. .
“The blue economy has many merits that the forum that begins here will make our youth discover. The potential of the blue economy in terms of job creation is considerable in several areas such as aquaculture, coastal tourism, marine renewable energies, shipbuilding and port support services to name but a few examples” said the minister.
She added that by encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs, they will be able to take their destiny into their own hands, create jobs for themselves and for other young people as well as stimulate social and technological innovation.
She therefore encouraged the young people to derive maximum benefit from the presence of their colleagues from other islands and of the experts in order to broaden their professional networks.
Minister Zialor also spoke about the benefits of this forum for Seychelles.
“We want what you have been given in the training to translate into actions, into business opportunities in new ventures that will eventually really launch the blue economy as a real sector. You, as young entrepreneurs, are essential in ensuring that the blue economy becomes an important pillar of the Seychellois economy. Together, we can create a more prosperous and promising blue future for generations to come,” she said.
For his part, Ambassador Léonard Émile Ognimba, representative of the OIF for the Indian Ocean, described this event as a great opportunity for the hundreds of young people to discover the considerable economic, social and environmental advantages offered by the blue economy.
“These young entrepreneurs, or aspiring entrepreneurs, will receive the quality support necessary for the development of many projects with real impacts on the ocean and in favor of our communities. Because these young people are determined to engage in sustainable practices in terms of fish or energy production, in the reduction of marine pollution and climate change, in order to contribute to the construction of a blue future in Indianoceania”, said the ‘Ambassador Ognimba.
He also wished them success in the accomplishment of their projects and reiterated the continued commitment of the OIF.
“I hope, dear young people, that you will find great interest in the meetings of this forum, and that they will strengthen your conviction and your will to carry out strong initiatives in favor of the social, economic and environmental development of our societies. You are the future of La Francophonie. Rest assured of our unwavering support at your side and our encouragement to build a bright future,” he added.
The 104 young entrepreneurs from Comoros, Reunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte and Seychelles were selected on the basis of their business projects in this sector.
They will be trained and supervised by the teams of OceanHub Africa, the first pan-African support structure specializing in sustainable solutions for the protection of the oceans, established in Cape Town, South Africa.
The latter will be accompanied by support structures for innovative entrepreneurship in the Indian Ocean: Innov Lab (Comoros), Partnership Lab (Reunion), CEENTRE (Madagascar), Esprit d’Entreprise (Madagascar), Kantar (Mauritius ), Created Pépites (Mayotte). There is also the participation of Seychellois entrepreneurs to supervise young people.
Alongside the training sessions, forum participants will take part in the “Innov’Bleue – Indian Ocean” competition, which will reward the ten best companies and business projects in the region in the field of the blue economy.
The winners will receive financial support of up to €5,000 to enable the development of their activities, as well as six-month technical support from OceanHub Africa and the incubators, accelerators and experts in innovative entrepreneurship in their territory: Innov Lab ( Comoros), Partnership Lab (Reunion), CEENTRE (Madagascar), Entrepreneurship (Madagascar), Kantar (Mauritius) or Créa Pépites (Mayotte).
The three best projects of the competition will also benefit from wide media coverage by the partners of the event.
The International Labor Organization will also reward twelve participants by offering free access to the certification training on sustainable entrepreneurship of the International Training Center of the OIF.
Note that the forum will be open to the general public tomorrow (Wednesday, March 1), from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This exhibition space will be an opportunity to discover the initiatives from the different countries of the Indian Ocean in the field of the blue economy.
Source: Seychelles Nation
