At the working luncheon session of the High-Level Meeting of the Archipelagic and Island States (AIS) Forum on October 11, 2023, young innovators from island nations and archipelagos presented their innovations to address key issues of the forum.
Two young Indonesians presented their innovations. Nadea Nabilla introduced an electric fishing boat engine called Manta One that can reduce carbon emissions by up to 78 percent.
Another is Fajar Sidik Abdullah Kelana, a UGM alumnus who showcased a sustainable microbubble aerator integrated with aquaculture systems that can improve water quality and increase aquaculture production and fish farmers’ income by 30 percent.
These young people expressed their voices about various critical issues of the AIS Forum and their innovations to address them.
In his opening remarks, President Joko Widodo mentioned that these young innovators’ presentations align with AIS Forum leaders’ discussions on the importance of an inclusive approach and innovation.
“As mentioned in the meeting, an inclusive approach and innovation are crucial. Therefore, I invite two representative groups, one representing the youth and the other representing innovators,” said the president.
Yuv Sungkur, the youth delegation representative from Mauritius, explained that the young delegates had gathered on October 6-7, 2023, and agreed on the first AIS Youth Declaration.
This declaration is an essential document that will be a historic achievement for island nations, containing statements from 26 delegations representing the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.
Nadea Nabilla explained that two million small-scale fishermen produce more than eight million tons of carbon dioxide annually, mainly due to their gasoline consumption, which accounts for 70 percent of their income.
Additionally, Fajar Kelana discussed the impact of climate change on aquaculture. He pointed out that climate change has decreased water quality and caused crop failure, affecting 2.2 million fish farmers in Indonesia and fish farmers worldwide.
Based on this issue, Kelana developed an integrated microbubble aerator to improve water quality in the aquaculture sector.
“Not only that, our innovation also reduces ammonia in the water by 17 percent and decreases electricity consumption by 40 percent compared to existing aerator technology,” explained Kelana.
He added that developing technological innovations that positively impact and improve the welfare of ordinary people is his life’s vision and mission.
Fajar Kelana graduated from Universitas Gadjah Mada after completing courses in Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering.
Source: Fajar Kelana
Editor: Satria