The first-ever South African Oceans Economy Symposium launched today in Port Elizabeth, hosted by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and Strategic Partners, South Africa. Entitled “Investing in blue growth and sustainable solutions for Southern Oceans: Lessons from Nordic countries”, the event focuses on aquaculture and shipbuilding. A media release circulated earlier this month identified several symposium goals:
• development of South African knowledge, competence, and capacity in the areas of shipbuilding and aquaculture;
• exploration and building of commercial linkages and joint ventures between South African companies and entrepreneurs and their Finnish and Norwegian counterparts;
• building of road maps (action plans) for developing the aquaculture and shipbuilding sectors of the South African oceans economy; and
• establishment of a network of expert practitioners, businesses, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, academics and regulators who work in these sectors and could potentially engage in future collaborations or joint ventures.