The Centre for Coastal Management – Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (CCM-ACECoR), University of Coast, as part of its 10th Anniversary organized the 3rd edition of the Biennial Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment, with the focus on the Blue Economy on November 6 -8, 2023.

Attended by nearly 500 people from 15 countries including 50 partners and over 100 institutions, the Blue Economy Conference aimed to strengthen policy linkages and enable researchers, journalists, and think tanks to include their voices in developing the Blue Economy of Ghana.

Some take aways from the presentations:

H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President, Republic of Ghana, highlighted the importance of oceans contributing 4 -10 % to Ghana’s GDP and called for a collective action towards the restoration the marine ecosystem.

Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, Director of AECoR: the Blue Economy is Africa’s future driver of growth but countries need to boost the sustainable governance of the ocean, explore and reduce conflicting use ocean uses, reduce maritime crime and pollution, and explore the value chains of the Blue Economy.

Professor Rashid Sumaila, Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia called for an effective valuation of fisheries resources building equal opportunities for women and girls, and increased funding for the protection of the ocean.

Michelle Keane, Operations Manager, World Bank: supporting the sustainable and resilient development of blue economies is part and parcel of the WB’s new vision statement – to create a world free of poverty – on a livable planet.

Peter Kristensen: A  recognition of achievements under WACA, combined with similar experiences in across Africa brought the World Bank to launch offer a set of combined solutions under the Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program (BE4RAP) to create blue jobs, enable blue food security and nutrition, and support countries in managing global and regional public goods.

The World Bank operationalizes and supports countries' coastal-marine and blue economy efforts through the West African Coastal Areas Program (WACA) which combines engineering solutions, nature-based approaches, and community engagement supported with finance and technical assistance. In Ghana, the $150 million protect coastal communities from erosion and flooding, introduce Blue Carbon finance for mangrove protection and restoration and create a collaboration platform with civil society to incorporate grassroots solutions and ensure that the needs of communities are heard and reflected.