Harnessing the Youth Bulge for Long-Term Growth in the Blue Economy

Relation between the concepts

The expression "youth bulge" refers to a considerable increase in the population's proportion of young people. This tendency has been noticed in many places worldwide, particularly in developing nations. The youth bulge has the potential to influence a country's economic and social growth greatly. The blue economy is one sector that stands to profit tremendously from the millennial boom.

The blue economy is the ongoing exploitation of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and job creation while preserving the ocean ecosystem's health. The ocean is a vast and largely unexplored resource with the potential to contribute to global economic growth greatly. Conversely, the blue economy has numerous challenges, including overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

The youth bulge offers an opportunity to address these problems and promote long-term growth in the blue economy. Young people can drive industry innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. They provide new perspectives and thoughts that can contribute in the removal of traditional barriers to sustainable development. Moreover, youngsters have a greater tendency to be ecologically concerned and devoted to long-term development, making them perfect candidates for blue economy employment.

The youth bulge can also assist many developing countries handle the issue of unemployment. According to the United Nations, one of the most severe global concerns confronting emerging countries is young unemployment. The blue economy offers the potential for new job creation and economic growth, particularly in coastal towns. The growth of the blue economy has the potential to offer new job possibilities for young people in areas such as fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and offshore energy.

Until now, realising the promise of the blue economy's burgeoning youth population necessitates investment in education, training, and skill development. Young people deserve access to high-quality education and training programmes that will provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to compete in the blue economy. Governments, the commercial sector, and civil society must collaborate to foster an environment encouraging young employment and entrepreneurship in the blue economy.

The youth bulge provides an opportunity to foster long-term growth in the blue economy. Young people have the capacity to drive industry innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship while also creating new job possibilities. However, realising this potential necessitates investments in education, training, and skill development. With the correct policies and investments, the blue economy may become an important driver of economic growth and long-term development, benefiting both young people and society.

Actionable items for maritime education and training for the youth bulge

The growing young population represents a tremendous potential for the blue economy, notably in marine education and training. Building a qualified and informed staff is critical to the marine industry's long-term prosperity. These are a few actionable elements that might help harness the potential of the youth bulge in maritime education and training; there are many more.

• Improve Education Access: Governments, corporate sector entities, and international organisations should invest in education and training programmes that improve access to maritime education. Scholarships, grants, and other types of financial assistance may be available to young individuals who wish to pursue a career in the marine business.
• Encourage Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): TVET programmes can assist in providing young people with the practical skills and knowledge required to excel in the marine sector. Governments and the corporate sector should work together to establish and implement TVET programmes that meet the demands of the industry.
• Create E-Learning and Distance Learning Programs: With e-learning and distance learning programmes, young people may have access to maritime education and training regardless of location. These programmes can also assist conventional marine education schools in managing capacity issues.
• Improve Industry-Academia Collaboration: Governments, academia, and industry stakeholders should collaborate to establish appropriate and up-to-date maritime education and training curricula. Cooperation can also make it easier to share knowledge and best practices, resulting in a more robust and dynamic maritime education and training environment.
• Encourage Entrepreneurship: There are several chances for entrepreneurship in the marine business, notably in maritime tourism, shipbuilding, and ship maintenance. Governments and private-sector organisations should fund programmes that encourage young entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Promote Gender Equality: Gender equality should be promoted in maritime education and training. This might involve creating initiatives to encourage young women to seek jobs in the marine sector and reducing barriers to their participation.

Improving access to education, supporting TVET, establishing e-learning and distance learning programmes, fostering entrepreneurship, and promoting gender equality are all practical issues that may assist the marine sector in capitalising on the youth bulge's potential.

"Empowering young people to become leaders in the blue economy is not just a matter of investing in their future, it's a matter of investing in the future of our oceans, our planet, and our shared prosperity." - Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

There are several great instances of this being manufactured in Africa.

Numerous programmes in Africa are using the vast number of young people to encourage long-term growth in the blue economy through education and training. Here are a few examples:

• The African Marine Waste Network is a partnership of African governments and organisations dedicated to preventing and reducing marine litter on the continent. To encourage responsible trash management, the network organises numerous projects, including education and awareness programmes for young people.
• MTI in Tanzania: MTI is a training institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that provides courses in maritime disciplines such as marine engineering, nautical studies, and marine electrical engineering. The institute trains young people from Tanzania and other nations in the area in order to prepare them for employment in the marine sector.
• The Marine and Fisheries Academy of Guinea-Bissau is a state-owned institution that teaches maritime studies and fisheries management. The academy offers a variety of courses for young people from Guinea-Bissau and other nations, including marine engineering, fisheries science, and maritime law.
• Sustainable Oceans and Coasts for Africa (SOCA) is a European Union-funded programme that aims to improve how ocean and coastal resources are sustainably managed in Africa. The plan includes a variety of projects that focus on education and training. They include grants for young individuals pursuing degrees in marine science, internships with industry partners, and courses for fishermen on how to fish in an environmentally friendly manner.
• Sea Sense in Tanzania: Sea Sense is a marine conservation organisation established in Tanzania that works to safeguard and conserve the region's marine life and coastal resources. The organisation operates some education and training programmes aimed at young people, including marine conservation internships, marine education, and fishermen training programmes.

These projects demonstrate how Africa's large number of young people can help the blue economy grow sustainably. African countries can use their large number of young people to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development by investing in education and training programmes that provide young people with the skills and knowledge required to work in the maritime industry.

These projects are tied to entrepreneurship and innovation.

Among the innovative projects using the youth bulge to achieve long-term development in the blue economy are:

• Blue Growth Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship Programme: The African Development Bank's Blue Growth Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship Programme encourages innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa's blue economy. The programme provides young people with training and mentorship in aquaculture, marine renewable energy, and sustainable tourism, allowing them to create new enterprises and contribute to the economy's long-term growth.
• The Youth in Ocean and Climate Change Fellowship is an African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI) initiative that aims to enable young Africans to become leaders in ocean and climate change concerns. The fellowship provides young people with training, a mentor, and funding to assist them in developing novel solutions to challenges in their communities connected to the ocean and climate change.
• The Blue Economy Youth Summit is an annual event that brings together young people from around the world to discuss and devise new ways to make the blue economy more sustainable. The summit provides a forum for young people to share their ideas, connect with industry leaders and policymakers, and collaborate on projects that promote sustainable development in the blue economy.
• Blue Ventures Youth: Blue Ventures Youth is a marine conservation organization's programme that aims to encourage young people to become leaders in marine conservation and sustainable development. The initiative offers young people training and mentorship in areas like as marine research, fisheries management, and sustainable tourism to create a network of young leaders who can drive change in their communities.
• Youth in Ocean Action is a global network of young people who work on ocean and climate change concerns. The network provides a space for young people to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and advocate for policies that will help the blue economy grow sustainably. It also includes training and mentorship opportunities for young people to build a strong, diverse community of blue economy leaders.

These innovative initiatives demonstrate how a huge number of young people can drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the blue economy, therefore assisting coastal towns worldwide in flourishing sustainably. We can harness the potential of the youth bulge and establish a more sustainable and prosperous future for everybody by investing in education, training, and mentorship programmes that enable young people to become leaders in the blue economy.

Summary of [actionable] items to follow-up

Invest more in maritime education and training. Investing in maritime education and training programmes that provide young people with the skills and knowledge needed to operate in the "blue economy" can assist in utilising the vast number of young people to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

Encouraging sustainable fishing practises: Education and training programmes that educate people on how to fish sustainably can help safeguard marine resources while keeping coastal towns' economies strong.

Encourage public-private partnerships: When governments, the business sector, and civil society collaborate to develop partnerships, they may pool their resources and expertise to foster long-term growth in the blue economy.

Create new methods of payment. Developing innovative payment methods, such as impact investment and blended financing, can assist the private sector in investing in initiatives for long-term growth in the blue economy.

Provide young people with the resources they need to become leaders in the blue economy by providing them with training, mentorship, and money. This will assist them in becoming leaders in the blue economy, fuel innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term growth.

Conclusions and key findings

Finally, the blue economy has both obstacles and possibilities due to the youth bulge. But, by taking a constructive and proactive approach, we can harness the potential of the youth bulge to promote sustainable development and economic prosperity in coastal towns worldwide.

We can capitalise on a large number of young people's potential by investing in maritime education and training, promoting sustainable fishing practises, forming public-private partnerships, devising new payment methods, and providing young people with the tools they need to become leaders in the "blue economy."

Governments, the commercial sector, civic society, and young people can create a brighter future for the blue economy. We can construct a more sustainable and prosperous future for everyone by using the potential of the youth bulge to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term growth in the blue economy with the correct laws, programmes, and investments.

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