INSTITUTE SHOWS THE WAY IN PROMOTING FISH PRODUCTION

Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) is charged with carrying out research in both marine and fresh water fisheries in the country. I wish to highlight some insights about it able and its endeavor to upscale fish production from Kenya’s territorial waters and the Extensive economic zone.

KMFRI has instituted various measures to ensure that post harvest losses are put at bay as far as fish and fish products are concerned. The Institute has innovated smoking ovens, solar driers and wind-solar hybrid drier constructed at various points along the coast. This includes four improved fish smoking ovens constructed in Mpeketoni-Lake Kenyatta, and training given to fishermen and beach inspectors on fish quality, handling, processing and information reporting.

In ensuring that the marine environment is free from pollution and degradation, the Research Institute carries out Coastline conservation programmes including mangrove conservation. Mangroves, which are breeding grounds for fish and mollusks, are sensitive to changes in water ph due to pollution and overexploitation. KMFRI is in the fore front to see to it that a good management plan is put in place to avert the threat that pollution and overexploitation and more recently climate change has had on these marine ecosystems which include planting of over 10,000 mangrove seedlings and producing land use maps to guide on management of mangrove and other coastal resources. Together with this KMFRI has successfully carried out marine pollution monitoring using nuclear analytical techniques and introduced pollution monitoring programmes to assure sea food safety. 

Mangroves have proved to be effective carbon sinks by trapping carbon from the atmosphere and storing it. This potential is important in the fight against adverse effects of climate change which include rising sea water temperatures leading to loss in aquatic life. KMFRI carries out capacity building to the locals on mangrove management and how they can benefit from carbon financing project in mangroves through the Mikoko Pamoja project. Also by carrying out baseline surveys for mangrove resources, they are able to advice on a proper mangrove management plan including planting of mangrove in degraded areas and recommending alternatives for locals who use the mangrove for firewood, construction and also medicinal use.

Recent research carried out in inland water bodies including Lake Victoria, Turkana, Baringo and Naivasha reveal that there is a high rate of species loss and declining fish stocks due to overexploitation, poor fishing practices, the introduction of exotic species and environmental degradation from pollution and other human related activities. This was made possible using Geographical Information Systems to map out fish breeding and fishing grounds along the Lakes. I urge the researchers to investigate why the waters in lake Bogoria and Baringo is rising to an extend of affecting the hot springs. 

For sustainable utilization of fisheries, KMFRI propose that there must be a balance between protection of critical fish habitats to ensure successful breeding and reduction of over-exploitation in these lakes. This calls for protection and management programmes at the community level with training on effective fishing techniques and management and mitigation measures. 

On aquaculture, the marine and fisheries research institute has overseen the construction of over 46,824 fish ponds in 169 constituencies all over the country raising the national annual production from aquaculture from 4,000 mega tones in 2009 to 22,514 mega tonnes in 2012. More farmers are now practicing aquaculture with over 74,076 Ha of land now under aquaculture. In the same breadth, KMFRI is engaged with the private sector to increase production of fingerlings and upscale production with commercial salt farmers at the Coast as well as in the development of fish feed from sea weed. They have also put in place programmes to tackle challenges arising from increased aquaculture including fish diseases, post harvest quality assurance and markets for aquaculture products. This is a vital Programme that must be supported and up scaled for social -economic development. We need to see more output in fish feed and ornamental fish, which currently the bulk of this is imported.

KMFRI continues to innovate in  promoting the electronic fish market information system to promote fish trade by providing easier access to fish market information through use of communication technologies. This is through transmission of information gathered from fish landing sites, fish farms and markets from all fish sources in the East African region. There is a need to use technology such as space science to map out these resources.

The Coastal community and  by extension every Kenyan, depends on marine resources for their livelihoods and we should adopt suitable resource management strategies which engage the community more to handle the conflict between man and his environment, as well as maximizing benefits not only for today but also for generations to come.  

Kenya’s marine fish production has the potential of 150,000 mega tonnes annually; we need national capacity and capability to explore the deep sea where rich resources dominate. With the research vessel from Belgium, KMFRI will be able to undertake research surveys of resources which exist within our territorial waters and beyond and therefore advice on how to reduce post harvest losses in fisheries sector, adopt suitable fishing technologies and value addition for better incomes from the fish trade hence contribute to the achievement of Vision 2030. However, the institution is faced with inadequate research funds and brain drain of staff to greener pasture. Partnership and linkages coupled with aggressive resource mobilization must be embarked by the staff. A public-private partnership could be ideal. Equally, we must see more policy brief from research work that inform descision making in the sector Above all the institution must work closely with county government in promotion of the sector.

AFRICAN AGENDA CAN ONLY BE ARTICULATED BY AFRICANS

The African agenda is about charting a new strategic path in order to affect a turn-around in the continent’s economy, politics, governance and development orientation. One thing that we must consider is the role that the Africa’s new vision to position itself so that it becomes the critical player in shaping the development agenda of the entire continent.

Africa’s potential is significant and if harnessed will drastically transform the destiny of its people. The African agenda is critical to ensuring the benefits of transformation are mutually shared across the different countries on the continent.

The land mass of Africa  is larger than the US, China, India, UK, Eastern Europe, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan combined. It accounts for 60% of the world’s uncultivated land.

According to the McKinsey “Lions on the Move” report, Africa’s GDP is expected to reach $2.6tr in 2020 which is equivalent to the current size of the UK; consumer spending is expected to increase to $1.4tr in 2020 from $860m in 2008 and the average life expectancy in Africa is projected to reach 64 years, compared to 57 years in 2010.

The African agenda should stress on good neighbourliness and good governance relations with fellow African states. It should also stress on the progressive articulation of modes of economic relations and the exchange of knowledge to offset the economic disintegration of the continent, but shuns the articulation of economic dominance based on exploitation and manipulation.

Through the African agenda Kenya has positioned itself as a special middle ranked power state and exemplar in Africa and the rest of the developing world. The manner in which Kenya’s democracy was born, the trajectory of its economic development and governance, as well as its commitment to peaceful co-existence with neighbours, has given distinguished clout and status to the country.

Mutual Benefit

A key aspect of Kenya’s foreign policy over the past years has been to assume the role of peacemaker and mediator in Africa, and a supporter of Africa’s interests abroad. Under the banner of the African agenda, the country will be a progressive agent for change in Africa.

Indeed, the values to which the country aspires at home are the same values it hopes for in the rest of the continent.

The Government’s foreign policy should openly state that Kenya will use its relative strength for mutual benefit of all and not attempt to run roughshod over neighbouring states. A specific element is that the country should seek strategic partnerships with African states in order to promote peace, stability and development of its economy.

We must make a contribution to the challenge of peace, democracy, development and stability in the rest of our continent for it is all about building a stable democratic system.

We must develop youth employment, support innovation by youth for the youth market and promote ideas in the female gender, reinvent distribution networks (internet, mobile, urban networking, and rural outlets) and develop/acquire infrastructure technology in the continent.

There is need to strengthen local SMEs to compete in all infrastructures markets (housing, education, health, transportation, energy, water, etc.), including by patronage of bigger African companies and promote Private Public Partnerships (PPP) and implement transparent procurement processes in the continent.

We should improve the quality of health care received by Africans in order to ensure a healthy and productive workforce thus resulting in an increase in the standard of living for all Africans.

Africa should maximize intra continental trade by encouraging private sector enterprise, as a way of creating sustainable growth on the continent.

Africa must commit to inclusive, transformative development that reduces income poverty, creates decent jobs, enhances access to social services, reduces inequality and promotes resilience to climate-related hazards in the continent.

 UNIVERSITY MUST EVOLVE WITH TIME OR FADE AWAY

Knowledge, its acquisition, dissemination and application is evolving at supersonic speed. Universities as among key institutions that support knowledge structures and pass on knowledge to future generations must keep stride with the knowledge revolution and the changing times.

Traditionally Universities were charged with the sole responsibility of teaching and research; we now live in an era where they have taken up new roles including their increased involvement with the society and in contributing to national economies all over the world. World class universities have embraced these global trends however Universities in our region are yet to fully adopt these new approaches and there is need for catch-up.

Universities today have embraced a learner-centred mode of learning by adopting curricular and pedagogies that prepares their graduates for tomorrow, concentrates on problem-solving and hands-on skills and emphasize on how to achieve sustainable development. Already, we have witnessed changes in terms of education delivery where Universities have used ICT to break the classroom confinement and deal with constraints of time and space as well as cater for foreign students. Virtual classrooms are now a reality and education is offered anytime and anywhere.

The evolving knowledge and research sphere now point towards transdiciplinary and multi disciplinary approaches. New fields are emerging from existing disciplines for instance bioinformatics and biochemistry.  It is important to ground students in particular disciplines but also explore interactions as societal needs are complex and multifaceted requiring different and multi dimensions to effectively solve them. Universities today have broken away from the silo mentality and from non-productive ideologies into collaborative initiatives which maximize on resources, reduce duplication, build synergy and enrich knowledge sharing.

Labour markets demand new skills with each dawning day and continuous lifelong learning must become a necessity rather than what we know as an education system where we have defined years of schooling and then graduate to start a profession. In the same breadth, Universities must upgrade the skills of the labor force as well as churn out graduates equipped with the necessary skills demanded by these markets. Towards this end, Universities must now integrate different programmes and improve the employability of their graduates by making them relevant to market needs and make them globally competitive.

Universities today contribute to the economy through wealth creation by commercializing research products. University-Industry-Government linkages are important in this endeavor and can take the form of joint research funding, establishing incubation centres, exchange of scientists and researchers.

Universities are also key players in a country’s innovation system and must carry out their role by tapping into the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate it to local needs and create new knowledge.  

The 21^st Century University is in touch with the society more than ever. Universities today go the extra mile to understand what the society needs and respond to these needs by designing appropriate programmes. Gone are the days when faculty developed curriculum all by themselves and Universities now draw their agenda from the society.

Our Universities must therefore become flexible and change with the times or be left behind by the globalization wave. We live in societies whose thirst for knowledge is insatiable and who also demand that we focus on their needs. Only adaptive Universities will transform themselves and respond to these needs and remain relevant and competitive.

TO SELL SCIENCE, JARGON MUST BE SIMPLIFIED

TO SELL SCIENCE, JARGON MUST BE SIMPLIFIED

Information is the indispensable fuel for the development engine; the raw material that can be transformed into knowledge to empower African communities in their efforts to take charge their socio-economic needs. Information, education and communication are vital elements of creating a knowledge-based economy as envisaged in the Kenya Vision 2030. Adequate information infrastructure is vital to facilitates the effective communication, dissemination, and processing of information as well as for assembling, managing and sharing of knowledge and for applying knowledge in production processes, policymaking and the development process.

In the sector of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Media and communication are important tools to communicate and disseminate information on research, promotion and awareness creation.

Communication is essential for stimulating public awareness and participation and for improving their knowledge and capabilities equally for policy making towards Social and economic development.

There are a number of challenges facing effective knowledge dissemination such as less priority given to science communication as compared to political news and crime; science reporters lack basic training on how to communicate science and technology; pseudo scientists, misinforming public; Africa lags behind in harnessing information infrastructure for knowledge dissemination. 

To promote effective dissemination of Science knowledge we need to work closely with journalists and interpret scientific data, decipher technical language, and distinguish scientifically credible claims from unsubstantiated ones.

We must pay enough attention to knowledge and allocate enough resources to the development, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge if we are to achieve our vision of being a knowledge based economy.

Exchange ideas

Strengthen capacity to harness and apply as well as protect indigenous knowledge and technologies in view to solve specific problems and improve our economy.

For any country to move forward to a sustainable economic development, it should be ready to “Sell Science” by removing the “jargon”.

Communication activities can help people, even those from different social groups within a community, to share information and exchange ideas in a positive and productive fashion. This dialogue can be enriched by understanding how development issues affect them, discovering what others think in other communities, and seeing what other communities have achieved. 

The government, in cooperation with the scientific community, should establish ways of employing modern communication technologies for effective public outreach. National and local educational authorities and relevant agencies should expand, as appropriate, the use of audio-visual methods, especially in rural areas in mobile units, by producing television and radio programmes for rural areas, involving local participation, employing interactive multimedia methods and integrating advanced methods with folk media.

Changes in the media landscape, in particular the rise of information and communication technologies, also require changes to the way in which media development is conceptualized.

Effective Science communication will establish a transparent and open form of communication in both directions that contributes to defining the role of science in society and to enabling society to make the best use of scientific knowledge.

AGRICULTURE IS AFRICA’S JAB FOR FOOD INSECURITY

In Africa, the agriculture sector is essential for growth, poverty reduction, and food security. More than half of rural employment in Sub- Saharan Africa consists of self-employed farmers, many of whom are women. Agriculture contributes 12 percent to Kenya’s GDP, and GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth originating outside the sector. It is also the largest source of foreign exchange, accounting for about 40 percent of the continent’s hard currency earnings; and the main generator of savings and tax revenues. The sector also remains the dominant provider of industrial raw materials with about two-thirds of manufacturing value-added in most African countries being based on agricultural raw materials.

Agriculture in Kenya continues to dominate Kenya's economy, although only 15–17 percent of Kenya's total land area has sufficient fertility and rainfall to be farmed, and only 7–8 percent can be classified as first-class land.

Almost 75 percent of working Kenyans made their living by farming, compared with 80 percent in the earlier days. About one-half of Kenya's total agricultural output is non-marketed subsistence production.

A report by the African Development Bank Group indicates that agriculture supports some 70-80 percent of the total population in Africa, including 70 percent of the continent’s extreme poor and undernourished. This means labor-intensive growth in the sector holds much promise for poverty reduction. Long-term investments aimed at boosting agricultural productivity will contribute to inclusive growth by creating employment opportunities for women and youth. Likewise, the agricultural sector is crucial for finding paths to development that will ease pressure on natural assets while managing environmental and socioeconomic risks better.

Unlocking Africa’s agricultural potential and tackling food insecurity will require sustained coordinated investment using an integrated value-chain approach. While these interventions may be initiated by the public sector, there is need for increased linkages with the private sector, by promoting PPPs in agricultural projects and programs.

  

Food insecurity

There are several products that are exhibited during agricultural shows but they are not implemented outside despite the technologies that are involved in them. Therefore, there is need to strengthen extension services and food security.

Globally, the socio-economic growth of any country is based on the transformation of knowledge, science and technology into goods and services. Integration of Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) into national production processes is central to the success of Government’s policy priorities and programmes that lead to development, growth and competitiveness based on new innovative ideas as outlined under Kenya Vision 2030.  This is of significance in this era of demands of global economic competitiveness, sustainable development and equity concerns.

Development of the necessary scientific and technological infrastructure as well as the technical and entrepreneurial skills is an essential prerequisite to the transformation of Kenya into a knowledge-based society. This is because Knowledge-based economies are at advantage in today’s liberalized global market. 

Kenya, and Africa in general is faced with enormous challenges; scientific interventions are needed to ensure food security in the context of climate change. Africa continent should therefore embrace the emerging technologies like modern biotechnology normally undergo risk assessments making them even safer than their conventional counterparts that we normally consume without knowing the risks involved.

As a response to market failure, or as an effort to accelerate market-driven social change, technology transfer may combine public and private sector or rely solely on public institutional mechanisms to identify, develop, and deliver innovations and information. The challenges to technology transfer efforts center on developing indigenous capacity to generate and adapt agricultural technology to local conditions. This is the primary objective of technology transfer in agriculture and the basis for advancing rural development.

The main aim of technology transfer is to modernize economies and transform the way products are produced so countries become more efficient and productive within the global market system. The technology to be transferred is said to not only benefit large scale production, but also to assist small producers and manufacturers of goods, be they in the agricultural sector or otherwise.

A new technology must be socially acceptable and beneficial on many levels, adding to the overall capacity of communities to maintain healthy and sustainable livelihoods.

In a globalized economy, technology licensing and transfer of technology are important factors in strategic alliances and international joint ventures in order to maintain a competitive edge in a market economy.

For this nation to grow to a sustainable economy, the Government should put more focus on agriculture as it creates employment opportunities for youth and helps in promoting more women in farming.

GOOD LEADERSHIP PROMOTES CULTURE OF INNOVATION

Innovation involves the process of turning ideas into reality and causes an impact to the society. It springs from the creativity and brings about change by introducing new tools, products and processes.

Innovation takes place at different levels from modest improvements on an existing product or process to dramatic and even historically significant breakthroughs in how we relate to the world. In all cases, the capacity to innovate will be a function of our commitments, what we want to accomplish and our relationship with the circumstances we perceive we are in.  Innovative systems, tools and thinking are essential for organizational health and future viability.

Leadership on the other hand is about directing and mobilizing people and resources. Leaders need to be innovative for themselves, as they learn to operate in challenging, unpredictable circumstances. They also need to create a climate for innovation in their institutions. Innovative leaders identify the need for change, lead the change process and have to manage change for it to be successful.

Leaders can close the innovation gap by working simultaneously on four essential organizational enablers. Otherwise, innovation will be stifled. These enablers include; leading innovation, culture of innovation, organizational practices for innovation and the innovation plan.

To close the innovation gap, leaders must clarify what they want to achieve with innovation, and understand the specific issues that can prevent individuals and teams from innovating in their organization. An innovative leader will reveal organizational vision, give direction and develop strategies that will help the organization become more innovative.

Executive leaders also must demonstrate their strong commitment in their actions, not only in their talk. They need to make innovation a core priority for the organization and for key departments; assign credible senior people to lead the implementation; and fully resource their innovation initiatives for the long term. It is these kinds of actions that will send the clearest message that innovation is here to stay and not the latest passing trend.

Leaders throughout the organization do not have to be the most innovative individuals but they must learn innovative thinking and learn how to lead and manage innovative teams. About 70 percent of organizations identify innovation as their means to gain competitive advantage yet only 20 percent of organizations conduct any innovation training as revealed by a survey  by Claude Legrand and David Weiss in their book; The Art and Practice of Leading sustainable Innovation in Your Organization . If leaders are committed to innovation, they must give their managers and employees at every level the skills to develop and manage innovative thinking skills.

Innovative and successful organizations utilize the skills and ideas from all its members and effective leadership for innovation encourages team spirit. Organizations must invest in their leaders and employees to ensure that they develop individual and teams innovative-thinking skills.

Organizations also need to design their culture and organizational practices to make innovation possible. As well, organizations require a well-developed, organization-wide innovation plan to ensure a focused approach to organizational innovation.

When innovation occurs in organizations, it becomes embedded. It also becomes an invisible competitive advantage, consistently creating new value for the organization. It is reflected in how individuals and teams think innovatively as they redefine complex issues, generate new ideas, discover solutions, and mitigate risks. The end result will be that organizations will close their innovation gaps, achieve sustainable customer value and employee engagement, and remain relevant in the future.

Leading an organization towards creativity and innovation involves setting realistic goals, having a shared sense of purpose, progress reviews and monitoring as well as learning from past experiences.

Lastly, it is important to note that innovation springs from a culture that encourages everyone to come forth with new ideas, however small, and then provides the time and resources to develop it. It comes from openness to trends and ideas within and outside the organization.