The Blue Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa Working for a Sustainable Future

The blue economy, comprising coastal and marine resources, offers vast benefits for sub-Saharan Africa: of the 53 countries and territories in the region, 32 are coastal states; there are 13 million sq km of maritime zones; more than 90% of the region’s exports and imports comeby sea; and the African Union hails the blue economy as the ‘new frontier of African renaissance’. Despite their importance, the region’s coastal and marine resources havebeen neither fully appreciated nor fullyutilized. They are only now being recognized as being key to Africa’s potential prosperity. As the region grows, it has, in general, not taken adequate safeguards to protect these valuable resources. That is partlybecause some of the problems (pollution, for example) are regional and know no borders. All too often, short-term gains are made at the expense of the long term (overfishing, for example). This book provides, for the first time, a study of the constraints and opportunities the blue economy offers for sub-Saharan Africa. It includes an introduction and overview; sectoral analyses (including tourism, fisheries, mineral resources, culture, shipping and maritime safety); country case studies; and analyses of regional and international efforts towards better coastal zone and marine management.

Foreword by The Honorable Vincent Meriton, Former Vice-President of Seychelles Acknowledgements The Editor and Contributors Introduction: The Blue Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa Donald L. Sparks Part I: Elements of the Blue Economy 1 Culture, Communities and Society Thean Potgieter Tourism, Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Threats Angela M. Lamptey Fisheries and Aquaculture in the West Indian Ocean States Erika Techera and Abdi Fatah Hassan Coastal and Offshore Energy and Mineral Resources Vivian Louis Forbes Maritime Safety and Security Jade Lindley Ports, Shipping and Transportation Vivian Louis Forbes Part II: Country Case Studies South Africa: The Blue Economy Experience Thean Potgieter From Concept to Practice: The Blue Economy in Seychelles Dominique Benzaken and Kelly Hoareau Managing the Blue Economy: A Case Study of Tanzania Francis Mwaijande Part III: Financing, Measuring and Governing the Blue Economy Innovative Financing for Africa’s Blue Economy Torsten Thiele Measuring the Blue Economy Charles Colgan, Vivian Louis Forbes and Iddi Mwanyoka International Ocean Governance as a Necessary Backdrop to Developing Africa’s Blue Economy Nick J. Hardman-Mountford, Jeff A. Ardron, Rosemarie Cadogan, Chilenye Nwapi, Alison Swaddling Making the Blue Economy Happen Clever Mafuta Afterword: What is Possible? What is Likely? Donald L. Sparks

Donald L. Sparks, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of International Economics at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, and a university lecturer in International Business at the Management Center Innsbruck, Austria.