The Blue Economy in Central Africa: An Ocean of Opportunities for Sustainable Development

By Dr. Adeline M. Nembot and Larissa Ntoubia

Introduction

Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km² (11.7 million square miles), it covers 20% of Earth‘s land area and 6% of its total surface area. With nearly 1.4 billion people as of 2021, Africa accounts for about 18% of the world’s human population. Central Africa is a region of the African continent comprising various countries. It has the highest rate of extreme poverty (54.8%) in the world, followed by Southern Africa (45.1%) (1). Even though projections claim that this region will remain the poorest region with an extreme poverty rate of 44.6% in 2030 (1), Central Africa, with its vast river systems, extensive coastline, and rich marine resources, constitutes a promising avenue for sustainable development through the blue economy. The blue economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean resources to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and improve livelihoods while preserving the health of marine ecosystems.

Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon possess extensive coastlines that create opportunities for beach tourism and ecotourism. Additionally, these countries have the potential for offshore oil and gas exploration, boast abundant and diverse marine ecosystems, and feature the Lake Chad Basin, which offers possibilities for inland fisheries and aquaculture. Together, these assets provide Central Africa the opportunity to improve livelihoods, reduce poverty, diversify economies, and promote sustainable development. This is consistent with the Agenda 2030 vision for sustainable development goals and the green economy, as it focuses on enhancing social equality and well-being while also controlling environmental risks through low-carbon and resource-efficient policies (2). Hence, this article examines how Central Africa can take advantage of its marine resources to break the poverty crisis.

This article will benefit policymakers and other stakeholders in Central Africa and beyond. The article is structured as follows: Section 1 contains the potential and challenges of the blue economy in Central Africa, and Section 2 describes how the blue economy is a catalyst for sustainable development in Central Africa.

1. The Potential and Challenges of the Blue Economy in Central Africa

The potential of the blue economy in Central Africa is enormous, given that the region is rich in natural resources and vast aquatic ecosystems compared to other African regions. Marine and freshwater resources are abundant in Central Africa. The region is endowed with extensive water bodies, including the Congo River, which is the second-largest river in the world in terms of area and discharge of water. It is also the largest river in Africa (3). The Congo River basin supports a diverse aquatic ecosystem and provides numerous opportunities for fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism.

The Central African region has an estimated potential fish production capacity of 1.3 million tons annually, yet only a fraction of this potential is currently realized due to overfishing and a lack of sustainable practices (4). The region also holds immense potential for hydroelectric power generation. It is estimated that the Democratic Republic of Congo alone has about 13% of the world’s hydroelectric potential, yet less than 3% of this potential is currently exploited (5). This underutilization of the hydroelectric potential represents a significant opportunity for energy production, which could support the regional development of Central Africa and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

The region’s biodiversity can be an important source of income and development if well exploited. However, despite the abundant marine resources, several challenges hinder the effective exploitation of the blue economy in Central Africa, including unsustainable practices, such as overfishing and illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing and deforestation, which threaten the health of the aquatic ecosystems. The degradation of the environment not only impacts biodiversity but also undermines the long-term viability of industries reliant on marine resources.

Also, inadequate infrastructure, such as poor transportation networks and the lack of access to markets, limit the ability of local businesses to capitalize on the available resources. This situation is particularly prominent in rural areas. Furthermore, weak governance structures and high levels of corruption impede the sustainable management of natural resources. The exploitation of resources often benefits foreign companies at the expense of local communities, leading to social unrest and environmental degradation, thereby limiting the opportunities the blue economy offers.

2. The Blue Economy in Central Africa: A Catalyst for Sustainable Development

The blue economy is a catalyst for sustainable development in Central Africa because the expanding aquaculture, fisheries, tourism, transportation, maritime, and inland port infrastructure can help to reduce the region’s poverty level and enhance food and energy security, employment, economic growth, and exports. During the 2019 Blue Economy Conference in Kenya, it was observed that more than 12 million people in Africa are employed in fisheries alone, providing food security and nutrition to over 200 million Africans and creating added value estimated at more than $24 billion, or 1.26% of the total African Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (6).

Food security and renewable ocean energy  

Over two billion people in the world do not have year-round access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient food (7). As one billion people in the developing world depend on seafood as their primary source of protein (8), Central Africa’s food security is heavily reliant on the blue economy. It is reported that small-scale marine fisheries have an important role in nutrient supply for coastal populations at the national level and contribute 32% of the entire supply of minerals, such as zinc, calcium, iron, and vitamins (7). Furthermore, the blue economy helps produce value-added food products like processed seafood and marine-derived products, which can boost export revenues while diversifying food sources.

Given Central Africa’s coast, renewable ocean energy sources such as wind and wave power can play a key role in reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Studies indicate that offshore wind energy has the potential to generate over 1 gigawatt, while mangrove rehabilitation contributes to carbon sequestration, gas for electricity or fuel, and wood for a variety of uses (9), all of which benefit local coastal communities.

Job creation

The blue economy is a significant source of employment in Central Africa, particularly in coastal areas. The blue economy supports the tourism industry, which provides jobs in hotels, restaurants, transportation and other industries. Millions of people work in the fisheries sector and aquaculture, and coastal towns rely on fishing for a living (10). It is reported that for every person engaged directly in the fish production stage, an additional 2.6 persons will be employed indirectly in the fisheries and aquaculture value chains (11). In order to evaluate the potential returns for domestic fish production, it was found that the overall number of jobs in Africa’s food system will reach 58 million, and the costs of farm investment for the three key inputs (fish feed, agricultural labor, and fish sperm) will reach the projected aquaculture volume of 1.8 billion USD per year by 2050 (11). In addition, the fishing sector improves livelihoods and empowers women in Central Africa, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable. For instance, 80-90% of women among fish traders in Congo have improved household revenues (12).

Conclusion and Policy Interventions

This article aimed to examine how Central African countries can leverage their blue economies to foster sustainable development. Based on the above analysis, the future of Central Africa appears promising. The blue economy offers opportunities to meet the region’s growing demand for food, energy, and employment while promoting the protection of the environment. To achieve the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, blue transformation measures are required from Central African policymakers. Some of the measures include:

• Setting up a strong legal and regulatory framework: comprehensive laws and regulations that control the blue economy industries will improve the sector’s contribution to Sustainable Development Goals. For instance, good aquaculture governance through predictable, transparent, equitable, and easily enforced legislative and institutional frameworks will cover aquaculture throughout the value chain (13).
• Encouraging private sector participation:private investment is critical for increasing agricultural production and productivity, as well as post-harvest techniques. For instance, only proper investment in the aquaculture value chain through conveniently available financial services can unlock the region’s potential.
• The deployment of digital technologies and innovative practices: According to the World Economic Forum, 35% of fish removed from the sea is wasted and 33% of seafood is wasted in post-harvest industrial practices (14). Digital technologies can be used to tackle many of the production challenges faced by the fishing industry. Also, off-farm access to aquaculture technology via Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) (e.g., mobile phones and other electronic devices), e-commerce platforms, and digital payment systems shorten supply chains and minimize transaction costs throughout the value chain (15).
• Implementing capacity-building programs for women and youth:Vocational training remains an important mechanism in human capacity development. For instance, as in aquaculture, education at the undergraduate and graduate levels is well established in Asia, Europe, and the USA. Central African countries may plan and implement vocational capacity-building programs to improve the sector’s competitiveness, production efficiency, economic viability, and long-term social and environmental sustainability (13).