The countries are now expected to implement the Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) for sustainable use, protection, and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Eight African nations have adopted the Yaoundé Declaration, committing to sustainably manage 100% of ocean areas under their national jurisdiction by 2030.
Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria made the commitment during the recent two-day International Conference on the Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea, held in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 9-10 July.
The countries are now charged with developing and implementing Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) for sustainable use, protection, and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems, alongside tackling Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU) and strengthening marine security.
“The ocean is one interconnected system that spans beyond national borders, and governments must manage it that way,” said Wanjira Mathai, Director, World Resources Institute (WRI) Africa in a statement.
The Yaoundé Declaration, said the Kenyan environmentalist, is a powerful signal of regional leadership, “showing that countries across the Gulf of Guinea are not just willing, but determined to build a sustainable, inclusive blue economy together.”
With Kenya expected to host the Ocean Conference in 2026, Mathai said that the Yaoundé Declaration sets the tone for African leadership on the ocean management’s global stage.
“Transboundary cooperation like this also helps shift African wisdom, solutions and priorities to the forefront, steering ambitious, homegrown answers to ocean challenges.”
In her address during the conference, Amina Jane Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary General remarked that the destinies of Africa and the ocean are deeply intertwined.
“For millions across this continent, the ocean is not only a source of life and identity but it is also a source of hope,” she noted.
That fact, she added, is nowhere truer than in the Gulf of Guinea, where coastal waters, rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, hold immense potential for economic transformation.
She regretted that the ocean economy accounts for less than 10% of GDP due to its potential remaining largely untapped.
The UN deputy SG proposed ocean protection, unlocking economic power of the ocean, and ensuring security at sea as the three areas of action that will ensure the Blue Economy delivers for the 100 million coastal people, 60% of whom are youth.
Two-thirds of marine species, Amina noted, remain undiscovered.
“They hold the keys to new medicines, low-carbon foods, and bio-based materials. This is a nearly USD$11 billion market opportunity waiting to be seized for our young people.”
Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria’s combined coastline length is approximately 3,290km, a huge resource with a vast gateway to nourishing our communities, improving nutrition, and building resilient livelihoods across the region.