*Bayelsa State’s Ambitious Draft Marine and Blue Economy Policy* By ASU BEKS
Having made history as the first among Nigeria's littoral states to create a Marine and Blue Economy Ministry, Bayelsa State again recorded another first when last week it rolled out a draft policy on how to navigate through the stormy waters of her potentially prosperous Marine and Blue Economy. It was not particularly an easy assignment for the technical working group which came out with the draft policy due to the inexplicable fact that even at the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, such a document was not available as a reference point.
Another contentious issue was how to navigate through a legal and policy framework for Bayelsa State without infringing on federal maritime laws majority of which fall under the Exclusive Legislative List. About 20 experts from the academ...