Participants of the conference “BLUE SUMMIT: Strategic Recovery of Mykolaiv through Sustainable Development and the Blue Economy” unanimously believe that Mykolaiv should become the center of blue economy development in Ukraine. Representatives of local authorities, businesses, the expert community, and academia, along with national and international experts, discussed the city’s development strategy, the importance of implementing new European approaches to sustainable development and water resource conservation, as well as the challenges that education faces in this context.
Artem Vashchylenko, Head of the Ukrainian Association of Business Support Centers, Project Manager of “Mykolaiv Portfolio,” and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster, emphasized the need to build the city’s economy considering modern and relevant trends. He noted that the blue economy sectors are already a priority in the city’s development strategy.
Rodin Genoff, an international UNDP expert in the blue economy, urged entrepreneurs to transition to working according to the principles of the blue economy, which involves automation and digitalization of production to ensure environmental safety.
Professor Eden Mamut, General Secretary of the Black Sea Universities Network and Coordinator of the “4BIZ: (Boosting the Blue Economy in the Black Sea Region by Initiating a Business Collaboration Framework in the field of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Coastal and Maritime Tourism and Maritime Transport,” spoke about the role of the academic community in the development of the blue economy in the Black Sea region.
Mykolaiv should focus on the development of rivers and small shipping, the restoration and modernization of shipbuilding, the creation of conditions for rehabilitation and recreation near water bodies, and the promotion of the blue economy and environmental stewardship from an early age. These are just a few of the priority areas for the Mykolaiv region, according to participants of the panel discussion “Blue Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine.”
Artem Vashchylenko, Yuriy Zhukov (Head of C-Job Nikolayev” LLC and member of the Ukrainian Marine Cluster), Mykola Petrushenko (Doctor of Economics and representative of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine), and Tetyana Chychkalyuk (Vice President of the National Tourism Organization of Ukraine) shared their perspectives. The panel was moderated by Oleksandr Yurchak, General Director of the Association of Industrial Automation Enterprises of Ukraine, Coordinator of the Industry 4.0 Movement, and Founder of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance.
Yuriy Zhukov believes that in Ukraine, the fact that shipbuilding is a growth point from which the blue economy begins is underestimated. This particularly applies to employment, as one job at a shipyard creates 10-15 jobs around it.
According to Olga Raku, Project Manager of “Strengthening the Capacity to Promote and Support the Development of the Blue and Green Economy in Mykolaiv,” promoting the concept of the blue economy and engaging young people are important steps in implementing the sustainable development strategy.
A highlight of the summit was the awarding of the winners of the children’s art contest “EGDBE” (THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL AND BLUE ECONOMY) by Mykolaiv’s Mayor, Oleksandr Senkevych.