Regeneration at Heart of Global Blue Economy Agenda for Africa

 

By Fred Felton | Mar. 11, 2026

Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA), in partnership with eThekwini Municipality as host city, will hold its 2026 summit in Durban at the Durban ICC from 23 to 25 March.

Durban will be the host city for OIA 2026. | Photo: Durban Tourism 

This Summit is aimed at positioning Africa at the forefront of the global shift from a sustainable to a regenerative blue economy, and brings together investors, policymakers, entrepreneurs, scientists, development finance institutions and community leaders to accelerate implementation, unlock capital and investment, and coordinate tangible action across Africa’s ocean economy.

The eThekwini Municipality is host city and main partner and certainly demonstrates its active leadership in advancing the blue economy by looking towards how to strengthen coastal management, support maritime and port-linked innovation, and align local development strategies with climate resilience and ocean sustainability objectives. As the host of OIA 2026, eThekwini reinforces Durban’s position as an important continental hub for ocean innovation, investment, and policy leadership.

‘’As climate pressures intensify and ocean degradation accelerates globally, our continent stands at a defining moment. With more than 38 coastal and island states and a rapidly expanding ocean economy, Africa has a unique opportunity to lead a regenerative model, one that restores ecosystems, strengthens long-term stability and drives equitable economic growth,’’ said Alexis Grosskopf, Founder of OceanHub Africa and spokesperson for Ocean Innovation Africa.

For the 2026 Summit the focus will be on regenerative blue business models and nature-positive growth; blue finance pathways, from aid to local and blended capital, marine protection, economic expansion and community stability, pan-African innovation ecosystems and solution-oriented workshops and curated Business-to-Business matchmaking and investor meetings and dialogues.

Annually the global ocean economy is valued in the trillions of dollars, yet overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are undermining both ecological stability and economic security. Incremental sustainability is no longer enough.

‘’We expect that investors, policy-makers, and innovators will join forces and co-ordinate strategies to tackle priority bottlenecks, drive practical collaborations, scale solutions, and reinforce Africa-led regenerative framing within global ocean dialogues,’’ noted Grosskopf.

OIA 2026 positions Africa as both contributor and leader in shaping the future of the blue economy.

For more information or to register go to: www.ocean-innovation.africa