Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa recently hosted the eleventh Our Ocean Conference, marking the first time the global gathering has been held in Africa. The event produced 320 investment pledges totaling $6.2 billion, many aimed at curbing illegal fishing and protecting carbon-absorbing coastal ecosystems. Several countries, including Kenya and the Seychelles, committed to introducing electronic monitoring for industrial fishing fleets to combat illegal fishing and protect coastal livelihoods. Delegates also highlighted opportunities in marine biotechnology and reviewed progress on the Great Blue Wall initiative, which aims to protect 30% of the Western Indian Ocean by 2030 while creating two million blue economy jobs. Despite the financial commitments, experts cautioned that previous ocean conferences have often struggled to translate promises into tangible results, emphasizing that greater investment and implementation are essential to meet ambitious conservation and development targets.
African Business