Business Desk :
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said ‘blue economy’ is one of the resource frontiers in the recovery process from pandemic as oceans are both an engine for global economic growth and a key source of food security.
“Therefore, maximum utilization of blue economy is the key in our strides to overcome the adverse effects of pandemic,” he said.
The foreign minister was speaking as the chief guest at an international webinar titled “Blue economy in post covid-19 era: resilience strategies for the coastal states”, organised by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU), said a press release.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh should aim at developing an inclusive and people-centric Blue Economy enhancing capacity-building with innovative financing, ensuring the transfer of critical technology and strengthening cross-sectoral partnerships and collaboration with other maritime nations.
In the context of Bay of Bengal, he said, “We need to develop a cooperative mechanism among the littoral states to promote collaboration for reaping maximum benefits of blue economy”. Noting that Bangladesh considers Blue Economy as one of the cornerstones for its economic growth and socio-economic development, the foreign minister said maritime capacity building should be planned in regard to governance and institutional framework, academic and research institutions, managerial-technical-technological capabilities and qualified skills.
