Staff Writer
The Ocean Innovation Africa Summit 2026, held in Durban at the end of March, brought together 581 delegates from 36 countries and hosted more than 420 business meetings focused on Africa’s blue economy ventures and innovations.
The director general of the European Commission’s maritime affairs and fisheries department, Charlina Vitcheva, said progress in the sector depends on turning commitments into action through Africa-Europe cooperation.
Salma Baghdadi, Innovation Lead at The Wave, said ocean regeneration requires strong systems around innovation.
She emphasised the need for stakeholders to connect, ensuring that science drives solutions, those solutions penetrate the market and collaboration fosters broader change.
Workshops highlighted common challenges. Access to finance remains limited, local delivery is preferred over centralised approaches, and coordination is needed alongside innovation.
The sessions produced outcomes including venture incubation, community finance models and tools to support ocean awareness.
During the Pecha Kucha sessions titled Women of the Blue: Leading the Wave, women leaders shared experiences in the sector.
Speakers included Magdalyne Were from Mission Inclusion, Fatuma Mang’ena from Healthy Seaweed Co. Limited and Maryke Musson from uShaka Sea World.
The summit also showed growing investment opportunities. Start-ups are developing projects in aquaculture, waste recycling and cold-chain logistics.
Financing discussions focused on blended capital rather than grants.
Three OceanHub Africa accelerator graduates, Ambani Fish Leather, Fibertext Green Paper Limited and Chitelix, received funded opportunities to attend Katapult Future Fest in Amsterdam.
OceanHub Africa released its Impact Report covering 2020 to 2025. It reported support for 149 businesses, mobilisation of more than US$20 million, creation of 1,735 jobs and a 90% survival rate among supported ventures.
The organisation said the report outlines ways partners can support venture growth, market access and financing.
Outcomes from the summit will be presented at the Ocean Conference in Mombasa next June to support further collaboration between policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurs.
