Maritime Oganisation of West and Central Africa ( MOWCA) has launched the maiden edition of the Blue Africa Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Nigeria, with a call for stronger partnerships, investment and local value creation across Africa’s blue economy.
The two-day conference and exhibition, which is taking place on August 13 and 14 at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, brings together stakeholders across the maritime and marine sectors to explore practical ways of unlocking Africa’s vast potential in the blue economy.
The event is designed as a platform for practical conversations and action around key areas including maritime trade, ports, fisheries, aquaculture, offshore energy, marine technology and coastal development.
MOWCA stressed that Africa could no longer afford to remain on the sidelines as global investments in maritime and blue economy sectors continue to grow.
The organisation said African countries must develop the systems, partnerships and businesses required to ensure that the continent derives greater economic value from its marine resources.
It noted that Africa must move beyond exporting its resources while allowing the value, technology and profits generated from those resources to be created elsewhere.
According to MOWCA, this need informed the establishment of Blue Africa as a platform for connecting governments, businesses, investors, institutions and communities around opportunities within the continent’s blue economy.
The association said the conference provides governments with an opportunity to present their national blue economy agendas, investment priorities, infrastructure requirements, policy directions and areas of opportunity to potential investors and strategic partners.
For businesses and investors, MOWCA said the event would provide an avenue to understand emerging markets, engage with decision-makers and identify projects capable of delivering commercial returns while contributing to long-term development.
The organisation also highlighted the importance of young Africans in shaping the future of the sector, noting that the blue economy would require professionals across engineering, science, technology, policy, entrepreneurship, logistics, law, finance and media.
“Blue Africa is simply not just an event, it is the beginning of a long-term platform,” MOWCA said, stressing the need to build an ecosystem capable of sustaining investment, innovation and collaboration across Africa.
MOWCA also announced plans to develop a media platform around the Blue Africa initiative, describing storytelling as a powerful tool for communicating investment opportunities, connecting businesses with investors and showcasing Africa’s marine and coastal potential.
According to the organisation, the planned media platform will eventually encompass television, written content and digital media, with the objective of increasing awareness of opportunities in the blue economy and enabling Africa to tell its own story with confidence.
It explained that the broader vision of Blue Africa was to help African countries showcase investment opportunities, attract partners and investors, promote viable projects and ensure that more value generated from the continent’s marine resources remains within Africa.
The maiden Blue Africa Conference and Exhibition 2026 is expected to serve as a meeting point for policymakers, industry players, investors, technology providers and other stakeholders seeking to transform Africa’s blue economy potential into sustainable economic opportunities.
MOWCA urged stakeholders participating in the two-day event to use the platform to forge partnerships, develop investment opportunities and advance initiatives capable of creating jobs, driving innovation and keeping greater value within African economies.
