Prioritizing Overfishing and Marine Pollution: A Call to Action for African Nations Ahead of IUCN Africa Conservation Forum

By Kanamugire Emmanuel

Nairobi-Kenya: Ahead of the IUCN Africa Conservation Forum which set to start from 26 June 2024, Leaders and representatives of African nations and partners gathered at the Africa Ocean Forum have called for action to address the threats of overfishing and marine pollution facing the continent.

The importance of Africa’s coastal and marine resources for socio-economic development, as well as their global significance for climate regulation, biodiversity, food security, and cultural heritage, was emphasized during the session.

Held on June 24, 2024, the Pre-Africa Conservation forum aimed to address the regenerative blue economy in Africa.

Participants were reminded that the oceans play a crucial role in climate regulation and contribute to the well-being of populations, especially coastal communities.

It was stressed that protecting these marine resources is essential for the sustainability of both the environment and the livelihoods of those who depend on them. 

Amb. Karigithu, Kenya’s Special Envoy for Maritime and Blue Economy in the Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, stated that “The blue economy we all know presents a significant opportunity for Africa sustainable development and that is why initiatives and strategies need to be taken to ensure wellbeing of nature and people.”

“The marine domain is the cornerstone of the economy of humanity accounting for transport routes for up to 90 per cent of global trade, economic prosperity and the wellbeing of many national economies particularly those in developing countries.” Amb. Karigithu said

“The oceans contribute to better food security, more decent jobs, new professional opportunities and we must be aligned with what we need to do.  Let me say that the resources of our planet are limited and for this reason, I must challenge us to make a commitment particularly to embrace the circular economy as a sustainable future orientated concept in the blue economy,” she added.

Alexis Grosskopf, CEO and Co-Founder, African Hub for Ocean Impact, said that measures must be taken to de-risking investment in blue entrepreneurship.

“We are seeing more and more of the solutions sprouting here and there, but they are leveraging existing sectors, proven sectors like FinTech, HealthTech, or whatever tech. We need more in the blue tech space hundred per cent.”, he said.

Arthur Tuda, Executive Director at  WIOMSA (Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association), emphasized that the transition from ancient economy to regenerative economy will not just happen without science, technology and innovation.

“For a long time, knowledge that we used to learn on marine and oceans often comes from elsewhere, not our own and has some errors. The problem we have is that every government is talking about the blue economy; Africa is talking about blue economy vision 2060 but in strategic documents, you hardly find science. How are we going to transition without knowledge? If you look at the investment of governments, science is less than 0.1 percent of their budget, yet, they are talking about how the blue economy is changing things in Africa.” He said.

Shared responsibilities in fighting overexploitation of fish are crucial, according to Keider Neves, Sustainable Fisheries Coordinator at BIOSFERA (Cape Verde). In order to address overfishing, they are working on a sustainable fishing project that supports artisanal fisheries and helps local communities transition to modern and certified fishing practices. This initiative aims to sell fish at higher prices, ensuring that both the environment and the fishermen benefit from the process.

Pollution of oceans by communities around the port cities is another concern.

To combat the marine pollution, the leaders and representatives of African nations and partners at the Africa Ocean Forumhave declared commitment to align efforts in the ongoing negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

The instrument covers the entire life cycle of plastics, ensuring it is ambitious, effective, equitable, science-based, and includes the elimination and phase out of unnecessary and problematic plastics, chemicals, and products of concern.

Additionally, they commit to enforce regulations and other measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, including the use of technology, and promote and support regenerative fisheries management practices, with a particular focus on safeguarding small-scale fisheries.