ACATMAR's president takes over the State Governance of the Blue Economy of Santa Catarina
The president and co-founder of ACATMAR, the Brazilian Nautical Association, Leandro "Mané" Ferrari, took over on September 22 the presidency of the State Governance of the Blue Economy of Santa Catarina. The inauguration took place during the 5th Governance meeting, at the Sebrae/SC headquarters in Florianópolis, with representatives from the public sector, industry, academia, organizations and other players linked to the state's Blue Economy.
Having a leader from the nautical sector at the head of the Governance shows the weight of the moment. Santa Catarina stops treating sea-related activities as isolated efforts and starts organizing them within a single space for coordination, with goals and a working method.
A table that gathers the whole sea economy of the state
What makes this representation matter is who sits at the same table. The Governance connects the public sector and private initiative, government secretariats and municipal governments, universities and organizations, and brings together the sectors of defense and maritime security, boating, the naval industry, ports and logistics, fishing, aquaculture and mariculture, tourism and services. Activities that, day to day, rarely talk to each other now plan together.
This is the logic ACATMAR has defended for years for the Sea Economy: a boat, a port, a marina or a mariculture farm do not exist on their own. Each one pulls a chain of industry, retail, services, technology, jobs and training. When these links organize around common priorities, the whole state gains.
From a discussion space to a results space
"Taking on this presidency represents, above all, a responsibility of coordination. Santa Catarina already has an extremely strong Blue Economy. We have ports, fishing, aquaculture, the naval and nautical industry, tourism, technology, universities, coastal municipalities and a range of activities that have the sea as an economic asset. The challenge now is to make all of it talk and advance in an integrated way," said Mané Ferrari during the inauguration.
He said the Governance has already completed a stage of institutional building and needs to move to a more executive phase. "We are starting a new cycle. I want a participatory Governance, but also an objective one. We cannot be only a space where people meet to discuss the Blue Economy. We need to be a space where things start to happen," he stressed. "That is what the Governance is for: to turn coordination into action, create opportunities and generate results for the state."
Besides the inauguration, the meeting's milestones included the signing of the Bylaws, the presentation of the new working structure and the start of the administration's Work Plan.
An early delivery
For the Sebrae/SC state manager of the Blue Economy, Patrícia Mattos, the meeting brought forward an important consolidation stage. "This was a delivery scheduled for the end of the year and we managed to make it happen already on the September agenda. More than completing a stage, we are strengthening a space able to gather different players in one place, list priorities and detail what needs to move forward," she said.
"The Blue Economy involves different sectors, institutions and territories, and the Governance has exactly this role of getting everyone to row together, looking at common priorities and turning dialogue into action," she added.
Five Thematic Chambers and three Working Groups
The new structure organizes priorities, mobilizes skills, structures projects and tracks results. It provides for five Thematic Chambers:
Defense, Sovereignty and Maritime Security.
Fishing, Aquaculture and Living Resources.
Blue Tourism and Coastal Development.
Boating, Marinas, Sports and Services.
Naval Industry, Ports, Logistics and Offshore.
They are joined by three cross-cutting Working Groups, dedicated to innovation and technology; sustainability and climate; and professional training, work, entrepreneurship, investment and internationalization. The structures will be mobilized progressively, according to the priorities identified, gathering skills from different institutions to develop projects and address strategic challenges.
Who Mané Ferrari is
A journalist, tourism manager, entrepreneur, writer and consultant specialized in the Sea Economy, Mané Ferrari is president and co-founder of ACATMAR, and also works on other fronts of the sector in Santa Catarina. At the head of the association, he has defended the organization of nautical activities and the integration of the sea's production chain as a path to generate jobs, income and competitiveness.
The State Governance of the Blue Economy acts as a space for coordination, cooperation, dialogue and strategic proposals, connecting the public sector, industry, academia and civil society. The 5th meeting was held and coordinated by Sebrae/SC, the State Governance of the Blue Economy of Santa Catarina and the participating institutions.
