Making the blue economy happen

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa’s blue economy policies are informed by global instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as global targets as set out under the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy) is also key to the definition of national blue economy policies in sub-Saharan Africa. While many sub-Saharan African countries have signed up to UNCLOS, very few have taken the next step of domesticating the framework law into their national policies. Furthermore, few countries are making use of tools such as marine spatial planning (MSP) and ecosystem-based management (EBM) to inform their policymaking and to advance their blue economic activities. A number of island countries such as Mauritius and Seychelles have significantly extended their maritime boundaries based on some provisions of UNCLOS, while others such as South Africa have developed ambitious blue economy programmes through Operation Phakisa. The majority of sub-Saharan African countries are not engaged in the exploration or exploitation of resources in their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and in the community heritage areas despite having enabling global policies and strategies such as UNCLOS and the 2050 AIM Strategy, as well as planning tools such as MSP and EBM at their disposal. It is possible to significantly grow sub-Saharan Africa’s blue economy if countries fully embrace and domesticate the global laws and agreements that give them access to resources in the common heritage areas and in their EEZ.