By Akanimo Sampson
Construction work of the $11million East African Maritime Institute at Chitsakamatsa in Kwale, Kenya will soon commence. The maritime institute which is being constructed on a 40-acre parcel of land was launched by Education CS George Magoha.
I is expected to be a regional centre of excellence serving Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. It will also be used to train students on the blue economy.
The institute will initially serve over 1,000 students from the East African Community but it will later be upgraded to accommodate more.
It is expected to equip trainees with various skills in port logistics and marine transport, and also support other polytechnics as highly experienced teachers will be hired to offer international courses.
The project is being implemented in partnership with the European Union, which supports blue economy projects in the six coastal counties.
According to CS Magoha the institution will provide sufficient knowledge to youth spearheading the full exploitation of the blue economy opportunities to tackle the unemployment crisis. “The expansion of the TVETs space is meant to ensure jobless youth are well catered for,” he said.
He further mentioned that about 400,000 youth fail to progress further after KCPE each year in the country. “This marine institute will be a game-changer to the Kenyan economy on educational matters,” he added.
Apart from the education aspect, the East African Maritime Institute is expected to spur economic activity in Kwale. International flights will increase to and from Diani airstrip as students from abroad travel for studies.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is in the process of upgrading the Diani airstrip to an airport at a cost of over $21million. The authority is expanding the Diani running way to 1.8km from 1.2km, but in phases.
