By, John Kabambala
Across the Western Indian Ocean region, where many communities depend heavily on marine resources, the ReSea Project has played an important role in linking environmental conservation with the Blue Economy. In Tanga, Pemba Seascape, the project has supported women and young people to develop enterprises based on the sustainable use of marine resources, including seaweed farming, crab fattening, sea cucumber farming and fish processing. Through entrepreneurship training, mentorship, production equipment, packaging support and market linkages, participating groups have strengthened their businesses, diversified their sources of income and improved their ability to cope with climate-related challenges. The project has also created opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect with buyers, financial institutions, government authorities and development partners.
The
importance of ReSea also lies in its approach of positioning local communities
as active participants in conservation and economic development rather than
simply as beneficiaries of environmental projects. The project demonstrates how
sustainable marine enterprises can create economic incentives for communities
to protect the ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend. By promoting value
addition, business diversification, access to markets and financial services,
ReSea has helped strengthen the economic resilience of coastal communities. Its
focus on women and young people is equally significant because these groups
often face barriers to finance, technology, productive resources and
decision-making opportunities. In this way, the Blue Economy becomes more than
a development concept, it becomes a practical pathway for improving livelihoods
while encouraging the responsible use and protection of marine resources.
In Tanzania, at Kiboko Hall in Tanga, the story of climate resilience was being told not through policy documents or conference presentations, but through products displayed on tables seaweed-based products, processed fish, mariculture products, and other enterprises developed by women and young people living along Tanzania’s coast.
The products were showcased at the ReSea Blue Economy Entrepreneurship
Trade Fair, held on 23-24
September 2026 at Kiboko Hall in Tanga and officiated by the District
Commissioner of Micheweni, Hon. Khatib Mjaja. The two-day fair brought together
12 women-led Blue Economy enterprise groups from the Tanga - Pemba Seascape, providing
entrepreneurs with an opportunity to showcase their businesses, engage
potential buyers and partners, and demonstrate how the sustainable use of
marine resources can strengthen livelihoods while contributing to healthier
coastal ecosystems.
For communities whose economies are closely tied to the sea, the
connection between climate change, environmental health and household income is
immediate. Changing coastal conditions can affect the resources people depend
on, while limited access to markets, finance, technology and productive
equipment can make it difficult for small enterprises to adapt. The ReSea approach is built
around this connection, strengthening economic opportunities while supporting
the conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystems on which those
opportunities depend.
When conservation becomes a livelihood
The 12 enterprises represented at the fair are engaged in activities
including seaweed farming and value addition, crab fattening, sardine
processing and sea cucumber farming. Their businesses demonstrate a broader
shift from simply harvesting marine resources towards adding value locally and
creating income from sustainable coastal enterprises.
This distinction matters in a changing climate.
A coastal economy that depends entirely on extracting raw resources can
leave communities exposed to fluctuations in production, markets and
environmental conditions. Value addition, business diversification and stronger
market relationships can provide additional pathways for communities to earn
income while maintaining incentives for responsible management of marine
resources.
Over the past four years, ReSea has supported the participating
entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship and business development training,
coaching and mentorship, production and packaging equipment, market linkages
and soft-skills development. The groups have subsequently strengthened their
businesses, diversified their products and income sources, improved market
access and made progress in areas including formalisation, financial management
and sustainable production practices.
The
change is therefore not only about what is being produced. It is also about how
coastal enterprises are being managed and positioned within wider value chains.
Women moving from participation to leadership
One of the strongest themes emerging from the fair was the role of women
in shaping coastal economies.
Women
and young people are central to many coastal livelihoods, but their
participation in entrepreneurship can be constrained by limited access to
finance, markets, technology, productive resources and decision-making spaces.
ReSea's Blue People Pillar seeks to address these barriers by strengthening
women's and youth participation and leadership in the Blue Economy.
“We are not only here to sell products. We are here to
lead businesses, build partnerships and have a voice in decisions that affect
our livelihoods and our ocean,” said Ziyana Massoud Ali of the Jitihada Sea
Cucumber Group.
Rose Marandu, WFTT Executive Director, further emphasised the importance
of inclusion, noting: “No sustainable development can be achieved without
ensuring that all groups in society have equal opportunities, particularly
those who have historically been left behind, including women, young people and
persons with disabilities. Inclusion strengthens social cohesion and
contributes to the sustainability and progress of our nation.” The fair therefore functioned
as more than a product exhibition. It created a space where entrepreneurs could
speak directly with government institutions, buyers, financial institutions,
development partners and other private-sector actors.
This was reflected in the structure of the two-day programme. The first
day focused on government, regulatory and enabling institutions, including
dialogue with government and regulatory authorities, an institutional panel on
partnerships and sustainability, product exhibitions and buyer engagement. The
second day shifted towards markets, investment and finance, with enterprise
pitching sessions, discussions on buyer requirements, presentations from
financial institutions and one-on-one market and financial linkage sessions. That progression, from
showcasing products to discussing finance, markets and partnerships captures
one of the central challenges facing small coastal enterprises: turning
community-level production into viable and sustainable businesses.
The climate connection is in the value chain
Climate adaptation is often associated with large infrastructure, early-warning systems or ecosystem restoration. But for coastal communities, adaptation can also take place through everyday economic decisions. Diversifying income sources, improving production practices, strengthening businesses and connecting producers to markets can help communities build greater economic resilience. At the same time, enterprises based on sustainable marine resources can create an economic reason to maintain the health of coastal ecosystems. ReSea explicitly links these dimensions. The project recognises that healthy coastal ecosystems are fundamental to the communities that depend on them and places local communities at the centre of identifying and implementing responses to their economic, social and environmental realities.
Petpertua Angima, ReSea Chief of Party, emphasised the broader value of investing in coastal ecosystems, noting that: “Our experience has reinforced an important lesson: protecting mangroves, coral reefs and other coastal ecosystems is not simply an environmental agenda. It is also an investment in food security, livelihoods, enterprise development, climate resilience and the future of coastal communities.” This is particularly relevant in the Tanga Pemba Seascape, where livelihoods and ecosystems are closely interconnected. The approach does not position communities simply as beneficiaries of conservation interventions. Instead, the objective is to strengthen their capacity to develop enterprises, participate in markets and make decisions about economic activities that affect their communities and surrounding marine resources.
From a two-day fair to longer-term partnerships
The most important outcome of the trade fair may extend beyond the
products displayed during the event.
The
programme deliberately created opportunities for relationships between
entrepreneurs and institutions that could influence what happens after the
exhibition. Financial institutions including NMB, CRDB, VFT and PBZ were
scheduled to discuss access to market finance, while SIDO and ZEEA were
involved in sessions on government business support and enterprise development.
The programme also included one-on-one market and financial linkage meetings
between Blue Economy representatives and development partners.
The institutions’ commitment to supporting the sustainability of these
Blue Economy groups was reinforced by a call from Hon. Khatib Mjaja,
District Commissioner of Micheweni, who emphasised the importance of ensuring
that the achievements made continue beyond the ReSea project. “What is important is to
ensure that these achievements continue beyond the ReSea project. Project
support may be provided for a specific period, but the businesses established
by these groups must continue. Therefore, I call upon financial institutions to
invest in and support Blue Economy entrepreneurs.”
For small enterprises, these connections can determine whether training and equipment translate into sustained commercial activity. The fair's emphasis on buyers was equally significant. An off-taker session focused specifically on market requirements, while product exhibitions and business networking provided opportunities for enterprises to understand what customers and markets require. This reflects a shift from measuring support simply by the number of people trained or enterprises supported towards looking at whether those enterprises can sustain relationships, reach markets and generate continued economic value.
A wider lesson for climate resilience
The ReSea experience in Tanzania points to a broader lesson for climate and conservation programming across the Western Indian Ocean: resilience is not only about protecting ecosystems from climate pressures. It is also about ensuring that the people who depend on those ecosystems have viable, inclusive and sustainable economic options. At the close of the Tanga fair, participants moved from discussions about markets and finance to stakeholder commitments and a celebration of three years of Blue People achievements. The programme ended with a formal closing ceremony of the trade fair, but the more important question lies beyond the event itself: whether the partnerships established, market connections made and capabilities strengthened can continue to support these enterprises.
For the women and young entrepreneurs exhibiting in Tanga, the blue economy is already more than a development concept. It is a livelihood strategy rooted in the resources around them. The climate challenge is to ensure that those resources and the businesses and communities that depend on them, remain resilient enough to support the next generation. The ReSea Project operates across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Comoros and Madagascar, combining marine conservation, gender-responsive nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and inclusive Blue Economy opportunities. The project in Tanzania is implemented by Mission inclusion and IUCN in partnership with Women Fund Tanzania Trust, with support from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.
ReSea is
also closely aligned with the objectives of the Nairobi Convention,
particularly its emphasis on the sustainable management and protection of
marine and coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean region. The project
operates across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Comoros and Madagascar, combining
marine conservation, gender-responsive nature-based climate adaptation and
inclusive Blue Economy opportunities. In Tanzania, its work places coastal
communities at the centre of economic, social and environmental responses,
while creating links between conservation, markets, finance, government
institutions and development partners. This approach reflects the broader
regional need to ensure that healthy marine ecosystems continue supporting food
security, livelihoods and economic development. ReSea therefore provides a
practical example of how sustainable Blue Economy opportunities can contribute
to both community resilience and the long-term protection of the Western Indian
Ocean.
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