Aligning Africa’s blue economy ambitions
Workshop promotes awareness
NIGERIA: A regional workshop attracting delegates from across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) concluded at the beginning of October after consulting on strategies to enhance awareness and promote regional ownership of the revised ECOWAS Blue Economy Strategy, and to ensure its alignment with the Africa Blue Economy Strategy (ABES).
The workshop’s participants included 35 delegates drawn from ECOWAS Member States, technical experts, non-state actors, and other regional stakeholders who jointly reviewed the draft regional strategy document, shared national experiences and perspectives, and explored how best to align ECOWAS priorities with the five pillars of the ABES: sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; maritime security, and coastal tourism to governance, job creation, and innovative financing.
By the end of the workshop, consensus had been reached on key elements of the updated strategy, with strong emphasis placed on cross-sectoral governance, inclusive implementation mechanisms, and investment mobilisation. The key outcomes of the workshop are a strengthened sense of ownership among stakeholders, incorporation of regional perspectives and priorities into the revised strategy, and consensus on its alignment with continental and global blue economy instruments.
The three-day workshop was part of a continent-wide effort to consolidate national and regional frameworks under a coherent African blue economy vision. With support from the Kingdom of Norway, AU-IBAR has already facilitated the development of regional blue economy strategies for five other Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and provided technical assistance to 11 African Union Member States.
The ECOWAS Commission engaged AU-IBAR to lead this participatory consultation process to review and update its regional blue economy strategy, and align it with the ABES, endorsed by the Africa Union in 2019.
The blue economy holds significant promise for sustainable economic growth, job creation, climate resilience, and the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems in West Africa. The revised strategy is expected to guide Member States in leveraging their blue economy potential to enhance food security, foster socio-economic resilience, and support regional integration efforts.
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