Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which youth empowerment and education promote harnessing potential gains from the blue growth. The study adopts a desktop research and utilizes content analysis technique for data analysis. The study results indicate that youth empowerment and education provide opportunities to develop skills and equip youth to become problem solvers and decision makers. Maritime education for the youth increases the possibilities of more choices towards a maritime career, as well as, creating a maritime consciousness of the industry. Whereas the master plan for the blue economy is at design stage in the hands of presidential taskforce, the study notes that the Government of Kenya has shown commitments to harness youth potential through design of tailor-made curricula in blue economy for youth career pathways right from a certificate, diploma, all the way to graduate and post-graduate research level. The study argues that the master plan policy framework for the blue economy should offer a suite of opportunities targeting the youth for sustainable, clean, equitable blue growth. The study recommends that more innovative blue enterprise initiatives of empowering the youth be increased and strengthened to harness full potentials of marine resources to move forward the blue economy in Kenyas.

Keywords: Youth Empowerment; Youth Education; Blue Economy; Marine Resources