Seaweed business in Kwale: How to bring more women into economy

Women are at the forefront of this transformation, using seaweed farming to improve livelihoods and contribute to socio-economic development. 

However, the sector’s growth is hindered by persistent legal, policy, regulatory, and institutional bottlenecks.

Despite national ambitions, the ground reality is complex. Overlapping mandates among agencies like the Kenya Fisheries Service, Maritime Authority, Coast Guard, and the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) create regulatory redundancies and inefficiencies, discouraging investment and frustrating community initiatives.

The lack of county-level policies further compounds the issue, leaving seaweed entrepreneurs without clear guidance on product development, innovation, and market access. 

The Beach Management Units (BMUs), which govern marine resources, remain largely focused on traditional fishing, excluding women-led seaweed ventures.

Local stakeholder consultations often fail to translate into long-term support, with bureaucratic hurdles stalling progress. Without reform, women seaweed farmers risk being sidelined despite their growing role in Kenya’s coastal economy.

To foster an enabling environment for seaweed business, Kenya needs to embed gender-responsive measures in governance and planning, clarify agency mandates, introduce a ‘single window’ licensing system, and equip county agencies and women entrepreneurs with technical and financial skills.

Stronger coordination is needed between fisheries, trade, and gender departments, alongside the expansion of BMU mandates to support seaweed farming and value addition. 

Furthermore, Kenya must improve intellectual property rights and patenting systems for marine products and align development partner investments with government objectives to reduce duplication.

By adopting these reforms, Kenya can build a gender-responsive, pro-growth Blue Economy where seaweed aquaculture thrives, unlocking jobs, improving food security, and driving sustainable development, especially for women in coastal communities.

The writer is the Gender Lead, Blue Empowerment Project