Africa’s moment as world leaders converge in Kenya to save the ocean

By Hannington Osodo

For the first time in its eleven-year history, the Our Ocean Conference has come to African shores, and the symbolism was hard to miss.

Along the Swahili coast, dhows rocked gently in the water as the Indian Ocean shimmered behind rows of international flags.

Ministers, scientists, diplomats and ocean advocates gathered in Mombasa to signal what many described as a turning point not only for Kenya but for a continent that has long been treated as an afterthought in global ocean diplomacy.

President William Ruto, who pushed to bring the summit to Kenya, said the moment offered Africa a chance to show its leadership in ocean conservation. Speaking by video link, he reminded delegates that the ocean is not a distant blue shape on a map but something that belongs to everyone. He added that even those who never see it depend on it.

Ruto urged governments and partners to act with urgency to protect the marine ecosystem and to expand the blue economy in ways that secure prosperity for future generations.

The theme of the gathering was Our Ocean Our Heritage Our Future. Delegates pledged to move beyond familiar statements and take deliberate and tangible steps to safeguard the ocean. The aim was not only to manage a resource but to protect a shared inheritance.

John Kerry, the former United States Secretary of State who launched the conference in 2014, warned that the world is running out of time. He told the gathering that the global response remains too slow.

Half of the planet’s oxygen comes from the ocean and most of the excess heat from global warming is absorbed by it. He said a healthy planet is impossible without a healthy ocean.

Kerry called the Mombasa meeting historic because it marked the first time a major global ocean conference had been hosted in Africa. He recalled the uncertainty of the early days of the initiative and said it had begun as an experiment that countries chose to continue.

His message now was direct. He urged governments to turn promises into law and to ratify and implement the High Seas Treaty, which came into force earlier this year and provides the legal basis for protected areas in international waters. He said countries that have not ratified it should do so and move straight to implementation.

The scientific picture supports his impatience. Only a tenth of the world’s oceans have any form of protection and only a small fraction are fully or highly protected.

Hassan Joho, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, said the conference offered a chance to review progress since 2014.

He noted that more than two thousand nine hundred commitments valued at one hundred and sixty million dollars have been made through previous editions. He said these must now be translated into actions that benefit communities that depend on marine resources and that Beach Management Units should feel the impact.

Joho pointed to gains at home. Kenyan owned and Kenyan flagged fishing vessels have increased from seven a year ago to more than fifty today. The government is pushing the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to nearly double Kenya’s tuna quota of about three thousand two hundred tonnes.

It is also investing in landing sites, fish markets and ports in Shimoni and Liwatoni with more planned for Lamu and other coastal counties.

Salah Ahmad Sala, the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, told delegates that Africa is no longer a bystander in ocean affairs. He said the continent is ready to share knowledge and to be part of the solution.

For Somalia, he said, the ocean is not only a livelihood but an inheritance and a future. He also pointed to incidents of toxic dumping along Somalia’s coast that rarely receive international attention.

Throughout the conference the tone was confident and assertive. Mombasa’s hosts repeated a message that has become an unofficial slogan. Africa is not here only to listen. Africa is here to lead.

The sentiment reflects a long standing imbalance. Africa contributes the least to ocean degradation yet suffers some of the harshest consequences. The continent is now insisting on a place at the head of the table rather than at its margins.

As plenaries, technical sessions and the Executive Business and Investment Forum unfolded in Mombasa and Kilifi, the message beneath the speeches was clear. The era of grand pledges without follow through must come to an end.

One Planet Agency | OPA News