President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday launched the Mombasa Maritime Academy and cemented a partnership with Mediterranean Shipping Company alongside the county Governor Ali Hassan Joho.

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In his speech, the head of state hailed the launch as a significant step towards positioning Kenya as a maritime powerhouse and would help youths get jobs in the so-called blue economy.

"We are indeed emerging in the world, and we want to see ourselves also, as a rising maritime nation, " the president said.

Uhuru was given a tour of the maritime academy and taken inside one of the advanced water vessels.

The academy will help the county youths to acquire skills that they need to find employment in the maritime industry.

Mombasa County Governor Ali Hassan Joho called on counties in the coast to rally behind the academy, saying that it would go a long way in ensuring that they acquire world-class training.

"I urged fellow Governors from the Jumuiya Ya Kaunti za Pwani to join hands in offering strategic support to the institution in ensuring our youth get quality world class training so as to allow them to be more competitive in the global blue economy market, " Governor Joho wrote.

Kenyatta mourned the lack of sea time for youths that had made it difficult for them work on foreign ships.

He said that partnerships entered into by the Kenyan government would help young people to get the sea time.