BORAQS Seminar Highlights Government’s Commitment to Blue and Green Economy

The Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Seminar commenced on Thursday at Safari Park Hotel, with esteemed guests and stakeholders convening to explore the theme of “Harnessing Kenya’s Blue and Green Economy through the Built Environment.”

The seminar received an auspicious inauguration from the Honorable Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, Hon. Salim Mvurya. In his opening remarks, CS Mvurya underscored the crucial role architects play in advancing Kenya’s aspirations in the Blue Economy sector.

“I’ve just concluded a session here where the Board of the Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) who have a conference here and they invited me here to come and share what as a Ministry we are doing in the Blue Economy Sector. And I want to acknowledge that Architects are key players in what we are doing in Blue Economy and it was a pleasure to share with them,” CS Mvurya articulated.

Sharing insights into the government’s initiatives aimed at bolstering the Blue Economy, particularly focusing on infrastructure development along the coastline and inland water bodies, CS Mvurya stated, “In the Indian Ocean, Our government has put aside at least a whooping 1.4 Billion Kenya Shillings to construct landing infrastructure for our fishermen all the way from Lamu to Kwale (entire coastline). In Lake Victoria we are going to spend a little higher than that (Kenya Shillings 1.5 Billion Kenya Shillings) all the way from Busia to Migori and we are doing all this because we want to allow Fisheries Investments to be more Organized, because a landing site will have a cold room, an Ice making machine and others and it will be the first point for value-addition for fisheries.”

Highlighting the importance of organized fisheries investments, CS Mvurya remarked, “I also shared with them that we are doing an aquaculture project in Kabonyo-Kanyagwal in Kisumu and off course we are also doing another one in Sagana here in Mt. Kenya, so that we can harness the potential of our Aquaculture resource in our country.”

Addressing the pressing issue of climate change, CS Mvurya urged architects and technical teams to incorporate climate resilience into infrastructure design. He stressed, “I therefore urge the technical teams, that even as they design infrastructure they also need to inculcate issues of climate change within so that when we have rains like what we are experiencing now, then we should be able to respond to it based on the infrastructure at the design level.”

The BORAQS CPD Seminar serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among industry professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders, with a shared commitment to advancing sustainable development in Kenya’s built environment.

As discussions continue throughout the seminar, participants are poised to explore innovative strategies for leveraging architectural expertise to drive Kenya’s Blue and Green Economy agenda forward.

The event concludes with a renewed sense of purpose and determination to translate ideas into action, fostering a more resilient and prosperous future for Kenya’s built environment and its stakeholders.