On January 20, 2025, the city of Nouakchott, Mauritania, successfully hosted the CallmeBLUE Workshop, organized as part of the 5th WestMED National Event to promote the blue economy. This key event brought together over 100 professionals and experts from the maritime sector across Europe and North Africa, with a clear objective: to strengthen cooperation between maritime clusters and foster sustainable growth in the Mediterranean’s blue economy.
Clear and Ambitious Objectives
This workshop was part of a strategic initiative aimed at:
- Highlighting the key role of maritime clusters as drivers of sustainable development within the blue economy.
- Promoting North-South collaboration to create synergies and accelerate innovation in the maritime sector.
- Sharing best practices and exploring opportunities in strategic areas such as decarbonization of maritime transport, marine renewable energies, biodiversity conservation, and blue tourism.
Inspiring Contributions.
The event featured high-level presentations and insightful discussions, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities within the blue economy.
- Matteo Bocci (WestMED) opened the event by presenting ongoing initiatives under the WestMED Initiative.
- Elizabeth Chapman (CMMA) then outlined the goals and ambitions of the CallmeBLUE project, a European initiative designed to strengthen inter-cluster cooperation.
- Sara Tedesco (BIG - Blue Italian Growth Cluster) shared valuable insights on cluster initiatives and the challenges faced, while emphasizing key actions to foster knowledge exchange and business opportunities.
- Dynamic panel discussions followed, featuring notable interventions from Hamadi Baba Hamadi (Mauritanian Maritime Cluster), Captain Ezzedine Kacem (Tunisian Maritime Cluster), and Javier Noriega (CMMA).
The discussions highlighted several priority areas for the sustainable development of the blue economy:
- Fisheries and aquaculture: Implementing best practices for a more sustainable and resilient sector.
- Marine renewable energies: Exploring innovative solutions to support the maritime energy transition.
- Decarbonized maritime transport: Initiatives and projects aimed at reducing emissions in the shipping industry.
- Blue tourism and coastal heritage preservation: Showcasing the Mediterranean’s natural and cultural wealth.
- Blue innovation and entrepreneurship: Encouraging the emergence of startups and innovative businesses in the maritime sector.
Strengthening North-South Cooperation.
One of the key takeaways from this event was the importance of enhanced cooperation between Europe and North Africa. The workshop demonstrated that expertise sharing, trade exchanges, and inter-cluster collaboration are essential for building a more sustainable future for our oceans.
The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the progress of the CallmeBLUE project and highlight the next steps in establishing a Mauritanian Maritime Cluster.
A Big Thank You to Our Partners and Participants
We extend our gratitude to all experts, speakers, and partners who contributed to making this event a great success! Thanks to your commitment, we are moving forward together toward a more sustainable, collaborative, and resilient Mediterranean.