As an Islander from the Seychelles, Africa鈥檚 smallest country, I find that the ocean is intricately woven into my heritage.听听It not only defines my roots but also shapes the trajectory of my journey.听听听When I think of the future, I can鈥檛 help but also look at the boundless possibilities reflected in the vast expanse of the ocean.
I am therefore encouraged that the growing trend of African leaders turning their attention to the ocean as a catalyst for achieving 鈥渃limate positive growth鈥�.听听This is the premise of the听, where African leaders emphasized that 鈥楢frica possesses both the potential and the ambition to be a vital component of the global solution to climate change鈥�. 听
听African leaders are emphasizing that 鈥榗limate positive growth鈥� will be built by Africans, for Africans.听听Of course, support is needed - no one can achieve the scale of change needed without massive upscaling of investment.听听
The Great Blue Wall- climate resilience and a 鈥榬egenerative blue economy鈥櫶�
The Great Blue Wall is an initiative which aims to catalyze the promise of 鈥榗limate positive growth鈥� into action.听听
Under the Comoros Presidency, the African Union seeks, now more than ever, a 鈥榖lue future鈥�. Spearheaded by African countries in the Western Indian Ocean, as outlined in the听听adopted in June 2023, the Great Blue Wall initiative aims to shield African countries from impacts of climate change and natural disasters uplifting and delivering economic empowerment to local coastal and island communities.
The existing industrialized fishing practices of distant nations is completely detached from the eco-system which supports the biomass and hence poses a threat.听听The听听has underlined overfishing of tuna species, especially the big-eye tuna and yellow-fin tuna. At the same time, the warming ocean, increasing acidification of the water and consequent bleaching of coral reefs affects the availability of the prey species such as mackerel for the much-prized tunas.听
Coastal African nations find themselves at risk, often reaping limited benefits from their marine resources, similar to challenges faced with mineral exports from the mainland.听听
The Great Blue Wall aims to conserve marine resources through Marine Protected Areas as well as empower local communities by boosting the sustainable fisheries value chain and establishing of additional economic opportunities through eco-tourism and related economic activities.听听
The听听delivered a global pledge to place 30% of the world's oceans under protection-further reinforced by the听.
The Great Blue Wall is the blueprint for 鈥榬egenerative blue economy鈥櫶�
A regenerative model also implies actively investing in the ocean for climate resilience.听听In this instance,听.听听Mangroves provide some of the most effective protections against coastal erosion, while they are also critical spawning grounds for numerous commercial fish species and crustaceans.
Marine-based eco-tourism is also one of the most valuable forms of economic activity to provide opportunities for local populations.听
These are some of the elements that underpin the transformation from 鈥榚xtraction鈥� to 鈥榬egeneration鈥�.听听
How does this fit into Africa鈥檚 drive for sustainable industrialization?
The Great Blue Wall not only offers a model for a 鈥榬egenerative blue economy鈥� but also addresses broader challenges associated with Africa鈥檚 maritime space.
As Africa鈥檚 trade heavily relies on sea transport, ensuring climate-resistant port infrastructure becomes pivotal, most pressing is the development of Africa鈥檚 maritime corridors for trade to build on the promise of the听听(AfCFTA).
Reliable and affordable energy is a key enabler of sustainable value chains. Opportunities exist for offshore wind energy, for example, as being explored by Morocco.听听Meanwhile, floating solar is being tested in Seychelles, while using the听.
Financing the vision
As the Great Blue Wall envisions climate resilience built on community-focused economic empowerment, financing is key.听听As we head to COP28, the gap in climate finance is glaring- all the while conflicts divert resources away from climate and development priorities.听听The climate finance gap highlighted by the听听on Climate Finance co-chaired by Nick Stern and Vera Songwe showed that $2.4 trillion was required by 2030.
Large-scale climate finance availability would allow the Great Blue Wall initiative to mobilize quickly and at scale.听听Additionally, the Great Blue Wall also aims to generate income streams that support communities, reducing dependency and helps to boost domestic resource mobilization.
Among these opportunities including tapping into the potential of 鈥榖lue carbon鈥� or issuing carbon credits based on the sequestration potential of oceanic resources.听听Successful small scale projects such as听听in Kenya have delivered听high quality results听for local communities through mangrove rehabilitation.听听
Recognizing increased debt burdens of African countries, the opportunity to use debt swap instruments to replace existing expensive debt with more affordable longer-term lending could potentially liberate fiscal space to be redeployed to finance some of the priorities of the Great Blue Wall.听听The听听for example delivered new and predictable flows of finance for marine conservation.
Looking ahead: COP28 and beyond
The Great Blue Wall has high-level political backing and is a priority for the African Union and its partners.听听
Efforts are underway to expand its adoption to other African countries, connecting the ambitions of the countries along the Indian Ocean to those along the Atlantic.
At COP28, the focus is on mobilizing seed financing for this ambitious project which not only provides climate adaptation, but also seeks to fundamentally transform the economic model for management of marine resources.听听
The Great Blue Wall captures the essence of the 鈥榗limate positive growth鈥� we hope to see.听听
Mr. Adam is the Director, Policy, Monitoring and Advocacy at the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, UN Secretariat in New York
