[Africa’s Blue Economy]
Vincent Meriton: “If we are to truly unlock Africa’s potentials, we must acknowledge that despite the successes, Africa is still facing numerous challenges in developing the Blue Economy agenda.”
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According to the Pew Charitable Trust, the ocean generates economic benefits worth $2.5trn annually. “If the ocean were its own national economy, it would be the seventh largest in the world,” says Tom Dillon, Vice-President in charge of international environment at Pew Charitable Trusts.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes that some 13 of the world’s 20 megacities lie along coasts and nearly 700m people live less than ten metres above sea level.
Of interest is the place of Africa in the Blue Economy. While the continent has been a strong advocate for the adoption of this economic model, it is curious that Africa scores low on all facets of the oceanic business and is severely lacking in attendant services that are essential for its success.
The UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), based in Addis Ababa, notes in its Africa’s Blue Economy: A Policy Handbook, that African coastal and island states enjoy jurisdiction over a maritime zone totalling 13m sq km counting territorial seas and 6.5m sq km of the continental shelf. Even with such expansive resource-rich endowments, Africa lags behind, struggling to compete.
African security overstretched
In terms of security, most African navies and coastguards are overstretched. Limitations of human resources and equipment hamper their potential to exercise their mandates in securing safer maritime lanes, assuring tourism, clamping down on fish crime, curbing piracy, disrupting illegal drugs and human trafficking in the seas.
Decades of underinvestment in the maritime sector, as shown through statistics in tourism, maritime transport, energy, port facilities, fisheries, deep-sea mining, conservation and even security, leaves the continent playing catch-up.
“If we are to truly unlock Africa’s potentials, we must acknowledge that despite the successes, Africa is still facing numerous challenges in developing the Blue Economy agenda,” says Vincent Meriton, the Seychelles’ Vice President. “These range from financial barriers to limited access to technology, and they are preventing some states from fully implementing their plans.”
Read rest of article here: https://africanbusinessmagazine.com/blue-economy-special-report/why-is-africa-lagging-behind/
