Promoting a sustainable blue economy and conserving marine biodiversity across six Central African countries

Sustainable Ocean and Blue Economy in Central Africa (ODEBAC) Support

A healthy ocean underpins the successful attainment of climate goals, economic prosperity, and food security. It also strengthens the future resilience of coastal communities. The European Union selected our team to deliver technical assistance for their flagship Sustainable Ocean and Blue Economy in Central Africa (ODEBAC) initiative. The aim is to strengthen ocean governance, promote a sustainable blue economy, and conserve marine biodiversity across six Central African countries.

We organized training for regional and national participants to help them better align their goals with global ocean, biodiversity, and climate agendas. This included support for the ratification and implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National ​Jurisdiction Agreement. Secondly, we undertook strategic coastal planning through the development of the Master Plan for the Central African Coast, designed with the aim of anticipating climate risks and guiding resilient, gender-sensitive development. ​We also promoted gender equality and youth participation, integrated the principles of the EU’s guiding document on the ocean, the European Ocean Pact, and fostered collaboration among governments, regional organizations, and communities.

Embracing this vision for sustainable ocean management will help strengthen collective efforts to protect marine ecosystems and advance regional priorities in line with global commitments such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water.