President William Ruto of Kenya has commended the Canadian government for being a dependable partner in support of the so-called Blue Economy.Ruto said the exploitation of the sector’s resources is a key plank of the Bottom Up Economic Transformational Agenda (BETA) and called for more Canadian private sector participation through public-private partnerships.

“The Blue Economy exploits stand at Sh12 billion but can increase to between Sh120 billion and Sh180 billion,” the Kenyan leader said while speaking at State House, Nairobi, during a courtesy call by Canadian High Commissioner Christopher Thornley on Wednesday.

High Commissioner Thornley said Canada will continue working with Nairobi on areas of mutual interest and thanked the president for the role Kenya is playing in conflict resolution in the Horn of Africa.