Long-awaited Ocean Economy Master Plan nears finalisation

Deputy Minister confirms OEMP is in the process of being finalised

SOUTH AFRICA: Speaking at the Rural Oceans Economy Indaba 2026, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh confirmed that the long-awaited Oceans Economy Master Plan (OEMP) is nearing finalisation.

The OEMP is anticipated to provide the country's roadmap for the next phase of blue economy development. Its overarching objective is to increase the sector's contribution to job creation, inclusive economic growth and long-term economic development while promoting environmental sustainability, transformation and competitiveness. It examines value chains across key ocean economy subsectors, identifies constraints and maps the practical interventions required to unlock greater investment.

“South Africa is now entering the next phase of developing and growing the oceans economy through the finalisation of the Oceans Economy Master Plan,” Singh said. “While Operation Phakisa established a strong foundation and demonstrated the immense opportunities that exist within the oceans economy, the Master Plan seeks to take this work further."

Highlighting some of Operation Phakisa’s achievements, Singh noted how the programme had delivered across several sectors.

“More than a decade later, the vision of Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy remains as relevant as ever,” he said.

The Master Plan picks up where Phakisa left off, with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) having extended particular focus to fisheries, including the development of small-scale fisheries, as a priority within both the Master Plan and the Marine Spatial Planning process. Additional opportunity areas identified include maritime services, marine manufacturing, renewable ocean energy, marine conservation enterprises and ocean research.

What it means for the Eastern Cape

Singh said the Eastern Cape, with its extensive coastline, rich marine biodiversity and strategically located ports, possesses significant untapped potential that the Master Plan is positioned to help unlock. For the Amathole District specifically, he pointed to aquaculture development and coastal and marine tourism as sectors where practical opportunities already exist through initiatives identified under Operation Phakisa.

“For coastal districts such as Amathole, there is a unique opportunity to align local development initiatives with national priorities, strengthen value chains in fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, marine transport and marine manufacturing, and attract investment into coastal infrastructure and economic activities,” he said.

He stressed that the Eastern Cape's coastal economy is fundamentally about people, describing communities whose lives and livelihoods are intrinsically connected to the sea. Economic development, he argued, must therefore be inclusive, community-centred and sustainable, and must support cooperatives, skills development, access to finance, and youth and women entrepreneurs.

Lessons from Nairobi

Singh told delegates he had represented South Africa at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Kenya just days before the Indaba, the first time the conference had been hosted on African soil. He said the discussions reinforced several principles that he viewed as directly relevant to South Africa's Master Plan process.

The blue economy, he said, is now a strategic imperative rather than an aspiration, with countries worldwide recognising that sustainable ocean development is essential for economic growth, food security, climate resilience and social inclusion. He also stressed that ocean governance must be science-based while integrating indigenous and local knowledge systems, and that conservation and development need not be mutually exclusive: healthy oceans are the foundation of prosperous ocean economies.

South Africa, he said, remains committed to implementing global biodiversity commitments and strengthening Marine Protected Areas, while Marine Spatial Planning provides the framework for balancing competing ocean uses and protecting sensitive ecosystems as ocean activities expand.

Partnering for delivery

“National government cannot do this alone. Provincial government cannot do this alone. Municipalities cannot do this alone. Communities cannot do this alone. The private sector cannot do this alone,” he said. “Unlocking a sustainable oceans economy requires alignment. It requires coordination.”

PHOTO: Hole in the Wall on the coastline of the Eastern Cape. (© Adobe Photostock Licence)

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