By John Ndegwa / BMA
Bandari Maritime Academy (BMA) Chairman of the Board of Directors, Eng. Lung’anzi Chai Mangale, accompanied by BMA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Eric Katana, hosted Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, Eng. Aden Millah, and Principal Secretary, State Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, Fikirini Jacobs, at the Academy.
The engagement focused on strengthening opportunities for young people through maritime education, skills development, employment and participation in Kenya’s growing Blue Economy.
The leaders explored ways of enhancing collaboration between the maritime and youth sectors to ensure that more young Kenyans acquire industry-relevant skills and are adequately prepared to take advantage of employment opportunities locally and in the international maritime labour market.
Discussions also underscored the critical role of institutions such as BMA in equipping the youth with practical competencies required by the maritime industry, while promoting maritime careers as a viable pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
The engagement comes at a time when Kenya is intensifying efforts to develop its maritime human resource and unlock the economic potential of the Blue Economy. With the maritime sector playing a central role in international trade, shipping, logistics and port operations, expanding access to quality maritime training is essential to positioning Kenyan youth for emerging opportunities.
BMA reaffirmed its commitment to working with government and industry stakeholders to expand training, strengthen industry linkages and create pathways that enable young people to transition from training to meaningful employment and professional careers in the maritime sector.
The engagement further demonstrated the Government’s commitment to placing youth at the centre of Kenya’s maritime and blue economy agenda.
