From Challenges to Solutions: Minister Cosgrow advances targeted support for Blue Economy enterprises on Mahé and Praslin

The Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and the Blue Economy, Minister Wallace Cosgrow, has reinforced Government’s commitment to a solutions-driven approach to blue economy development following a series of strategic field visits to enterprises on both Mahé and Praslin in March 2026.

The visits conducted on Saturday, 21^st  March 2026 on Praslin and Saturday, 28^th March 2026 on Mahé provided an important platform for direct engagement with entrepreneurs, enabling Ministry to move beyond identifying challenges to actively shaping targeted, practical solutions.

Across both islands, the Minister and his delegation engaged a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including enterprises involved in marine conservation, seaweed farming, fisheries value addition, sustainable materials, marine-based fertilizers, plastic upcycling, aquaculture, and innovation-driven initiatives.

While the engagements highlighted a consistent set of challenges such as limited access to finance, regulatory and administrative bottlenecks, infrastructure constraints, capacity gaps, and difficulties in accessing markets; the visits were firmly focused on converting these constraints into actionable policy and programme responses.

On Praslin, discussions with stakeholders underscored the need for strengthened support in areas such as sustainable financing for conservation initiatives, development of the seaweed value chain, expansion of marine education programmes, and improved infrastructure and market access for fisheries-based entrepreneurs.

Similarly, on Mahé, entrepreneurs highlighted the importance of unlocking financing opportunities, streamlining regulatory processes, enhancing technical support for innovation and value addition, and improving linkages to both local and international markets.

Throughout both visits, the Minister adopted a proactive, solutions-oriented approach working alongside entrepreneurs to identify tailored interventions that respond directly to their operational realities.

Key solutions emerging from the engagements include:

• Enhancing access to finance through concessional lending, grant mechanisms, and better alignment of existing funding schemes with evolving blue economy sectors such as marine biotechnology and seaweed-based enterprises;
• Streamlining regulatory frameworks to improve the ease of doing business for small and medium enterprises;
• Investing in infrastructure and facilities to support value addition, including processing, storage, and logistics;
• Strengthening technical capacity, research linkages, and innovation support;
• Facilitating stronger market access through improved connections with tourism establishments and export markets;
• Supporting the development of emerging sectors such as seaweed farming, marine conservation enterprises, and circular economy initiatives.

The visits mark a continued shift towards a more responsive governance model one that prioritizes direct engagement, evidence-based decision-making, and the co-creation of solutions with private sector stakeholders.

The insights gathered will inform ongoing work by the Blue Economy Department to refine policies, strengthen support mechanisms, and build a more resilient, inclusive, and opportunity-driven blue economy across Seychelles.