The 8th Meeting of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Ministers Responsible for Oceans, Inland Waters, and Fisheries, comes to a close in Tanzania. Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Director of IFAD's East and Southern Africa Division, joins CNBC Africa on some of the outcomes and how best to unlock Africa's Blue Economy potential and investment opportunities.
The 8th Meeting of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States OACPS Ministers Responsible for Oceans, Inland Waters, and Fisheries, comes to a close in Tanzania. Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Director of IFAD's East and Southern Africa Division, joins us on some of the outcomes and how best to unlock Africa's Blue Economy potential and investment opportunities. Sara, thank you so much for joining us. To kick off our conversation, what are some of the key outcomes from the meeting? Thank you very much for having me. The 8th Meeting of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States Ministers Responsible for Oceans, Inland Waters, and Fisheries, themed Accelerating Action for Sustainable and Resilient Oceans, Fisheries, and Aquaculture in OCACP Countries and Regions, centered on advancing sustainable practices and frameworks to protect oceans, inland waters, and promote economic resilience in fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The key outcomes of this groundbreaking conference included engagement and commitments with the private investors in the aquaculture sector across these regions. The meeting also provided opportunities to showcase achievements in the Blue Economy and underscored strategic commitments to sustainable marine development as a second part of the outcomes that were coming back in. And the third one was real agreements and revitalization around the policy space and what needs to change and the incentives that need to be brought in to incentivize not only investments on the private sector side for income generation, but also for nature and clean oceans. Yes, and those are quite a number of outcomes we are seeing there, Sarah. But what are some of the main challenges that you're seeing here when it comes to marine ecosystems and also fisheries across these OACPS member states? And what are we seeing the government and the stakeholders do in this area? That's a really important question because I think this is where we need to crowd in investments to turn it around. Overfishing, illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing, habitat degradation, pollution with plastics, you know that's a huge problem that impacts and drives climate change. And I also think biodiversity loss, particularly in the coastal areas of coastal reefs, all of that is impacting coastal communities. These are key challenges that this conference was trying to look for. And I think improved governance was really discussed and building capacity and having tools and technology for monitoring not only fish stocks in our oceans, but also trying to use digital to enforce the regulations for sustainable fisheries management practices. And there was a lot of fishing communities represented by cooperatives of fishermen and women. And there was a big call for community-based fishing monitoring and participation. I think that was very key. Yes, and as much as we are seeing solutions to some of these challenges, then the aspect of funding comes in. What areas need investment here and also what are the available sources of funding we're seeing here? Well, the key areas for investment, as I mentioned before, is in enhancing capacities. So we do need to upgrade the fishing vessels, for instance, the aquaculture technologies that are in use. So that's really key. We also need to invest in skills. We don't have the skill sets needed to run commercial and sustainable fishery industries and aquaculture businesses. So that's really key. We need to connect the banks. So quite a few banks have participated here, talking to SMEs that are already in aquaculture. It was very exciting to see the new technologies that are being deployed. So that's another area of investment. And then we need to really invest in restoration and protection of our coastal areas so that the fish stocks will not be abandoned. And we also need to be able to unlock new businesses. Aquaculture is a great source of fertilizer, organic fertilizer, that could really be transformative for agricultural cropping systems. And those are key areas there when it comes to investment and also maybe available sources of funding. But let us look at how we can strike a balance between economic development and sustainability. We are not emphasizing much when it comes to sustainability here. I think we know now and we have lots of information about marine and aquatic biotechnology that also promotes environmental sustainability. Those technologies are now in our hands. So it's a matter of deploying those effectively. So, for example, we can use solar and solar-driven refrigerated kiosks as a means. And we don't necessarily have to go to unclean sources of energy to fuel the development of the blue economy. So it's deploying those types of useful tools in this sector that will also promote sustainability. For example, we also know that seaweed farming is one of the most sustainable forms of practice. And there's a huge market for seaweed for different industrial uses. And we were able to talk to companies here that are working with 25,000 smallholder fishing women in fishing communities. These are the types of business arrangements and business cases that we want to promote and support. And what role are we seeing the public-private partnerships are playing here? And also, how do you come in as IFAD? Well, we are very interested in promoting linkages between public and private players. We have quite a lot of experience doing that across the portfolio that we're investing in. We have aquaculture projects that we're financing in Eritrea, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, and Angola. And in there, the public-private partnerships that we foster, for instance, is in supporting the gap, the missing fish feed that is really scarce in the region. This region, Eastern Southern Africa, imports quite a lot of fish feed. And we've been instrumental in encouraging young people in Kenya, for instance, to use new technologies, develop fish feed from insects. We created over 500 driven youth businesses in unlocking the use of insects as fish feed. So those young people are working across these programs, particularly in the case of Kenya, to support fishing communities, aquaculture communities with access to fish feed, which is domestically fabricated and produced in a very economic way with a very low emissions footprint. And the aspect of job creation there is very important, Sarah, and I like the fact that you bring it up. But let us look at what are some of the challenges that are hindering the full realization of Africa's blue economy potential, and also what steps can be taken to attract more sustainable investments and at the same time overcome some of these barriers? Well, like I discussed, I think if we do develop eco-friendly fisheries and aquaculture, if we introduce proper planning, marine spatial planning, and also incorporate the sustainable tourism aspects of it, we have seen that in marine protected areas there is the assurance that we can then set about plans of exploiting our natural resources in a sustainable way. So you need data, you need to be able to do the monitoring of fish stocks to one level, and then packaging those into very clear business opportunities. And I mentioned before the areas of skill sets, the areas of entrepreneurship. Young people are very innovative, they're not fearful of the new frontier, and as long as we're able to demonstrate that these opportunities exist for them, and equip them and retool them to take up these opportunities, I think the sky really is the limit for us in terms of the blue economy. It was really evident here. We now have very interesting technologies that we're seeing. We have technologies that are, as I mentioned, solar driven, but hydrophonics, which are more on using combined types of systems, which are powered by electricity and also powered by digital. But even in more remote places which don't have electricity, we have technologies that are appropriate for young people in rural areas. And we all know that aquaculture is one of the most profitable types of farming that we can have. And yes, indeed, the blue economy has a potential when it comes to creating job opportunities for the youth and also for the continent. Thank you so much, Sarah, for those great insights.
Theme: Unlocking Africa's Blue Economy Potential through Sustainable Investment and Development
The 8th Meeting of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) Ministers Responsible for Oceans, Inland Waters, and Fisheries recently concluded in Tanzania, bringing together key stakeholders to discuss ways to accelerate action for sustainable and resilient oceans, fisheries, and aquaculture in OACPS countries and regions. During the meeting, Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Director of IFAD's East and Southern Africa Division, highlighted the importance of advancing sustainable practices and frameworks to protect oceans and promote economic resilience in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The conference focused on engaging with private investors in the aquaculture sector, showcasing achievements in the Blue Economy, and emphasizing strategic commitments to sustainable marine development. One of the key outcomes was the revitalization of agreements around policy changes and incentives to drive investments not just for income generation but also for environmental conservation. Challenges facing marine ecosystems and fisheries across OACPS member states were also discussed, including overfishing, illegal fishing practices, pollution with plastics, habitat degradation, and biodiversity loss. The need for improved governance, capacity building, technology, and community-based participation in fishing monitoring were highlighted as crucial steps to address these challenges. In terms of funding, key areas requiring investment include enhancing capacities, upgrading fishing vessels and aquaculture technologies, investing in skills development, connecting with financial institutions, and supporting restoration and protection of coastal areas. Several available sources of funding were identified, such as partnerships with banks, technology deployment, and public-private collaborations. Balancing economic development with sustainability was also a focus of the discussion. Sara emphasized the importance of deploying marine and aquatic biotechnologies that promote environmental sustainability, such as solar-driven refrigeration systems and seaweed farming. The promotion of eco-friendly practices, proper planning, marine spatial planning, and sustainable tourism were identified as crucial steps towards realizing Africa's Blue Economy potential. Public-private partnerships were highlighted as key drivers of sustainable investment, with IFAD actively promoting linkages between public and private players in various aquaculture projects across Eastern and Southern Africa. Sara noted the significance of job creation in the blue economy sector, citing examples of youth-led businesses developing innovative solutions for fish feed production. Despite the immense potential of Africa's blue economy, several challenges hinder its full realization. To attract more sustainable investments and overcome barriers, strategies such as developing eco-friendly fisheries, incorporating sustainable tourism, providing skills training, and fostering entrepreneurship among young people were recommended. The use of innovative technologies, such as hydroponics and digital-powered systems, tailored to rural areas without electricity, was also highlighted as a promising approach. In conclusion, the blue economy holds great promise for job creation and economic development in Africa, particularly for the youth. By implementing sustainable practices, fostering public-private partnerships, and empowering local communities, the continent can unlock its marine resources while ensuring long-term environmental preservation and economic growth.
"If we do develop eco-friendly fisheries and aquaculture, if we introduce proper planning, marine spatial planning, and also incorporate the sustainable tourism aspects of it, we have seen that in marine protected areas there is the assurance that we can then set about plans of exploiting our natural resources in a sustainable way. - Sara Mbago-Bhunu"
Africa, Blue Economy, Sustainable Investment, Fisheries, AquaCulture, IFAD, OACPS, Marine Ecosystem, Sustainable Development