Date: April 17, 2024
Venue: Faculty of Economic Sciences and Management of Sousse
Theme: Integrating the Blue Economy into Tunisia’s Economic Landscape
Keynote Speakers and Major Discussions:
The opening plenary was marked by an important intervention by Prof. Olfa Bouallegue, Vicepresident of the University of Sousse. Prof. Khaled TAMZINI, Academic Coordinator of the Blue-Era project at the University of Sousse, welcomed and thanked all project partners, business
leaders, teachers and students present at the event. Then Prof. Khaed TAMZINI exposed the planning of the workshop (available on the intranet)
Prof. Rachid Amara, the main coordinator of the BLUE-ERA project, delivered his online keynote speech with the topic “The Mediterranean and its sustainable blue economy.”. This session creates a platform for further discussion on the role of the Blue Economy to regional development.
Following the inaugural session, international perspectives had their place through Prof. Maria Giovanna Parisi (UNIPA) from Italy and Alexandra Ćulibrk, PhD(c) from the University of Aegean, Greece, who shared their online interventions on the role of Italy and Greece related to maritime transport, aquaculture, and educational activities in the field of blue economy.
Panel Discussions:
The afternoon featured a panel discussion focusing on two major themes:
- Clean Energy for the Marine World: Chaima Ben Grira and Eskander Alaya, co-founders of the startup BluePsol, discussed sustainable resource management in fisheries and aquaculture, particularly through innovative energy management technologies.
- Prof. Rachid Amara engaged in a discussion with Chaima based on his experience with the technology used to generate electricity for fishing boats in Tunisia. The public present in the room had the opportunity to question the panelists about their experience as members of the Tunsea association, its purpose, the link between its activities, and scientists from Tunisian universities, etc.
- The Importance of Citizen Science in Marine Conservation: Anas Ghzaiel, project manager
of “TunSeainspire,” highlighted the critical role of community engagement in scientific marine conservation efforts. - Prof. Moez Khenissi, Vice President of the University of Sousse joined the workshop and delivered a speech on the projects undertaken by the University of Sousse in recent years, related to the blue economy era. The debate was very informative and rich in terms of ideas exchanged and public perception of the future master’s degree. Summary of Outcomes and Stakeholder
Engagements:
- Collaborative Discussions: The discussion was based on the essence of cross-border collaboration to facilitate a strong blue economy.
- Educational Proposals: The loud call wanted blue economy to be an important part of higher education in the country so that future leaders could have skills from the field.
- Policy Importunity: The stakeholders concurred that facilitating beneficial policies that would allow sustainable economic practices within the blue economy impertinence.
