Socio-Economic and Ecological Assessment of the Blue Economy in Tanzania 2022

The Blue Economy is one of the emerging strong pillars of socio-economic and ecological development and growth across the world. It is one of the few resource-base whose exploitation can be conducted sustainably, and also whose ecological protection can generate economic value. Yet, due to the vastness of its scope (related to lakes, rivers, seas, and wetlands) which makes it difficult to measure its value, the BE struggles to become a priority agenda for countries. In 2020, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) developed a Blue Economy Valuation Toolkit (BEVT). This toolkit allows countries to assess the economic, social, and ecological value (in quantitative terms) that BE resources generate. Equipped with this information, countries can strategize on how best to optimise on these BE resources for enhanced socio-economic and ecological gains.