Empowering MSMEs in Tanzania Blue Economy project, led by Sote Hub. Through this initiative, startups and MSMEs will benefit from structured acceleration programmes, improved access to finance and markets, and enhanced innovation support within the blue economy and climate sectors
BlueCraft Africa: Ocean waste into coastal wealth led by One Green Africa. A creative, community-centred initiative, BlueCraft Africa empowers fishermen, youth, women, and coastal communities by transforming ocean waste into marketable arts, crafts, and upcycling innovation. Rooted in African identity and circular economy principles, the project aims to reduce overdependence on fishing and the extraction of marine resources by providing alternative, sustainable livelihoods. Through local upcycling hubs, community members receive training in eco-entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship, turning marine litter into opportunity.
Living Ocean Classroom: From reefs to communities led by Oceans Alive. This initiative creates immersive, community-rooted learning environments where small-scale fishing communities can directly observe and respond to ecological and social changes in their marine environment. By blending traditional knowledge with modern ocean science practices, the project bridges the gap between scientific understanding and lived coastal experience, building ocean literacy and stewardship from the reef to the community.
These are just three of the initiatives advancing ocean action under the SEAWARD Africa Programme led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO’s Sub-Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States (IOCAFRICA) as part of the UN Ocean Decade.
Together, they reflect what we believe: that Africa’s ocean future must be built by African communities, grounded in African knowledge, and supported by science that reaches the people who need it most.
read more: https://www.ioc.unesco.org/en/articles/seaward-africa-programme-driving-implementation-ocean-decade-actions
