OPERATIONAL BRIEF Overview BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM © 2022 The World Bank Group 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 | Internet: www.worldbank.org Acknowledgments This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank Group with external contributions. “The World Bank Group” This overview was written by Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez (Lead In addition, the team received incisive and helpful advice, refers to the legally separate organizations of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), Consultant). The series of briefs was prepared by a team led by comments and input from World Bank colleagues, including the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Lia Carol Sieghart (Practice Manager), Christian Albert Peter Syed Adeel Abbas (Senior Climate Change Specialist), Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). 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BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 1 About the Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program Key Messages Africa’s Blue Economy has the potential to drive the The Blue Economy generated nearly US$300 billion for the continent’s future economic and sustainable development. African continent in 2018, creating 49 million jobs in the However, the continent’s marine and coastal biodiversity and process. These and other crucial benefits—most notably ecosystems are currently under threat from poorly managed fishing food security, livelihoods, biodiversity, and resilience to the practices, unsustainable infrastructure development, pollution, the inadequate management of natural habitats and resources, and effects of climate change—are entirely dependent on the weak governance, which intensifies in areas suffering from fragility health and productivity of coastal and marine areas. and conflict. Climate change amplifies these risks. By safeguarding productive coastal landscapes, countries will be in a better position to To reach the full potential of Africa’s Blue Economy, countries take full advantage of future Blue Economy opportunities, which range from sustainable and regional entities need to work collaboratively to protect and blue energy to aquaculture to blue carbon. sustainably grow the continent’s fisheries, better manage pollution, and safeguard and restore biodiversity and ecosystems. The World Bank’s Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program, announced at COP27, will provide multisectoral analytical, financial, and policy support to Africa’s coastal countries and island states to help them leverage the opportunities—and manage the risks—inherent Such collaboration will require better coordination between and within in scaling up their Blue Economies. well-capacitated government and regional entities, supported by strengthened and accessible current knowledge of the marine system. About this series of briefs Marine spatial planning is a useful tool for supporting such coordination, while modern data and information technologies can be used to grow the marine knowledge base and share it at scale by ensuring open access to knowledge resources. The Blue Solutions for Africa series of operational briefs captures how a thriving Blue Economy can help African countries better manage the development challenges Creating an enabling environment for the rollout of new they face while supporting economic growth, sustainable technologies would help leverage the Africa’s youth dividend. livelihoods, and the health of these precious ecosystems. THE BRIEFS COVER THE FOLLOWING THEMATIC AREAS Achieving informed, integrated, and collaborative management of Africa’s marine resources will require substantial scaling • Climate change • Data management and up of financial resources, with increases in investments from knowledge creation both public and private sources. up of financial resources, with • Coastal and marine increases in investments from both public and private sources. biodiversity and habitats • Innovative financing instruments The World Bank offers new and innovative sources of financing that • Sustainable fisheries can be used to implement on-the-ground resilience-building Blue • Developing and incentivizing Economy projects while partnering with governments to put in place • Marine pollution institutions policies that support the Blue Economy. Together, these projects and • Jobs and livelihoods © Shutterstock • New frontiers of innovation supporting policies reduce the risk involved in investing in Africa’s Blue • Participatory marine Economy, creating an attractive environment for private investors. spatial planning © Freepik BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 3 Introduction The Blue Economy is at the core of economic development and competitiveness for African coastal countries. Job-creating economic sectors like tourism and food- production sectors like fisheries depend on a clean and healthy coastal environment. Future development opportunities in sustainable blue energy and ocean mining are key to countries’ competitiveness. Ecosystem services from mangroves and coastal habitats, upon which coastal populations depend, can be supported by new revenue- generating instruments, like blue carbon. However, unsustainable infrastructure development, pollution, and the inadequate management of natural habitats and resources are threatening the productivity of coastal marine ecosystems on the African continent. Climate change-related events such as sea- level rise, land subsidence, storm surge, and coastal flooding are exacerbating the region’s vulnerability. The challenge today is: How can coastal countries manage their coastal landscapes to spur economic growth and reduce poverty while adapting to the effects of climate change? The World Bank produces Country Climate and Development Reports, a new series of core diagnostic reports that integrates climate change and development considerations. These reports help countries prioritize impactful actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost adaptation while delivering on broader development goals. In this series of briefs, the World Bank reflects on successful Blue Economy operations that support African countries as they pursue green, resilient, and inclusive recovery and development. 4 I OVERVIEW © Freepik BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 5 The importance of Africa’s resilient Blue Economy today and in the future The Challenge According to the African Union, the continent’s Blue Economy generated nearly US$300 billion and supported 49 million jobs in 2018 . In West Africa, the coastal zone Africa’s Blue Economy faces a wide range generated 56 percent of GDP. A review of Africa’s Blue Economy subsectors reveals that, before COVID-19: of challenges and risks, from pollution and overexploitation of fisheries to coastal • Coastal tourism contributed US$80 billion, or about 3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and 24 million jobs in 2018. erosion and biodiversity losses. Climate • Capture fisheries contributed US$21 billion, of which change amplifies these risks. US$8.1 billion comes from marine artisanal fisheries. In 2018, the fisheries sector employed about 13 million people, of which 7 million were fishers and 6 million were processors. • Aquaculture contributed US$2.8 billion to African economies and provides jobs for about 1.2 million people. This sector recorded the fastest growth among all regions between 2016 and 2018, averaging 10 percent. This shows the enormous potential of this economic sector, which is also essential for food security. So far, most of Africa’s aquaculture is concentrated in Egypt and Nigeria. © Freepik Pollution Globally, there is currently between, 75 million and 199 million Due to the lack of access to wastewater collection and Fish is an important animal protein for African populations. Furthermore, coastal areas in Africa—like other regions tons of plastics in the ocean, according to recent estimates. treatment infrastructure, untreated wastewater continues According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of of the world—tend to be more densely populated. The Without significant global action, plastics entering the ocean to be discharged into the marine environment, either the United Nations (FAO), fish consumption grew from estimated annual growth of Africa’s population in low- are expected to triple, from between 9 million and 14 million directly or indirectly through freshwater ecosystems. These 2.9 kilograms (kg) per person per year in 1961 to 14.7kg per elevation coastal zones—defined as 10 meters (m) or tons per year to between 23 million and 37 million tons per year. discharges have important impacts on marine ecosystems person per year in 2017 in North Africa. Fish consumption less above sea level—is as high as 3.3 percent. In some and human health, in addition to tourism and fisheries. The has remained static or decreased in some countries in sub- countries, the growth is even higher. In Senegal, the coastal Today, Africa is estimated to be the second-biggest ocean estimated cost of untreated domestic wastewater amounts to Saharan Africa, varying from a maximum of about 12kg population is projected to reach up to 50 percent by 2060. plastic polluter. Its growing urban population and poor waste US$31 million in Senegal and US$35 million in Côte d’Ivoire. per capita in West Africa to 5kg per capita in East Africa. In Morocco, coastal areas are home to over 60  percent management could result in the continent becoming the largest of its population and host 90 percent of its industries. contributor to global mismanaged plastic waste by 2060. On Oil spills can have significant detrimental impacts on marine By 2030, Africa’s Blue Economy is estimated to grow to average, marine plastic pollution in the Middle East and North and coastal ecosystems, as well as health impacts through US$405 billion, including US$100 billion generated by The economic engines of coastal cities—from Cape Town Africa is 6kg of plastics per person per year. The equivalent direct contact and ingestion. Oil spills further restrict economic coastal tourism, and will generate 57 million jobs. Sustainable to Lagos, and from Casablanca to Accra, and many more in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean—are fundamental number for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5kg per person per year. In activities such as coastal tourism and other industries that management of the coastal-marine environment and for the growth and sustainable development of Africa. For West Africa, regional plastic value chain analyses show that rely on clean marine water. In Nigeria, for example, the responsible growth of current and future Blue Economy sectors all these reasons, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 has packaging is the main contributor to plastic pollution, indicating cost of oil spills in the coastal Delta in 2018 was estimated have the potential to lift millions of people out of poverty. where a circular economy approach would be beneficial. at US$66 million, equivalent to 0.5 percent of its GDP. identified the Blue Economy as a key goal towards achieving Africa’s coastal land and marine biodiversity is a unique a prosperous Africa and recognized the key role the oceans Marine plastic pollution impacts economic activities such as All the above sources of marine pollution threaten the ocean’s treasure for the region, with eight of the 36 global play as catalysts for socioeconomic transformation. fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, and shipping. Globally, it cost carbon-storing functioning by damaging ecosystems such as biodiversity spots, 439 marine key biodiversity areas, and between US$6 billion and US$19 billion in 2018. According mangroves and salt marshes and ecosystem components 148 marine and coastal Ramsar sites. Africa’s diverse to the WWF, plastic pollution imposed a minimum lifecycle such as seagrasses. The carbon storage of these ecosystems and rich biodiversity provides critical ecosystem services cost of close to US$61 million on South Africa in 2019. The can be up to 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare, much and is at the core of the continent’s Blue Economy. estimated cost of environmental degradation caused by waste higher than most terrestrial ecosystems. and plastic pollution on the tourist island of Djerba, in Tunisia, was US$85 million in 2014. 6 I OVERVIEW BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 7 Illegal and unsustainable fishing Climate change impacts on Africa’s According to the FAO, the proportion of fish stocks that are within biologically sustainable levels has decreased catch fishing and related value chains. It is estimated that a staggering US$8.3 billion of fish caught in the West Africa Blue Economy significantly from 90 percent in 1974 to close to 66 percent region was spoliated by illegal fishing, and Somalia loses in 2017. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a about US$300 million annually due to illegal and pirating major risk to the sustainability of Africa’s fish stocks and fishing. Insufficient data, poorly designed regulations, and The impacts of climate change exacerbate and The coral reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats that poses a major obstacle to local communities’ ability to insufficient enforcement are at the core of these fish stock amplify the damages caused by pollution, fisheries support small-scale fisheries are already under stress tap into the economic and food security benefits from challenges. overexploitation, coastal erosion, and environmental from climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. degradation. The main impacts of climate change in The projected increases in air temperature, turbidity Africa are sea-level rise, warming seas, heatwaves, and from more extreme rainfall, sea-surface temperature, an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, sea level, and Coastal erosion and environmental degradation and storms. physical damage from more intense cyclones are expected to cause further reductions in the extent and quality of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) coastal habitats. Coastal populations in Africa face a combination of movements throughout Africa—in some areas significantly. Sixth Assessment Report presents the observed trends environmental degradation factors leading to death (due to Climate change and flood risks exacerbate these trends. and modeled projections for Africa’s changing climate. The impacts of climate change on fisheries are increasing, floods, air, and water pollution), the loss of assets (houses, In coastal areas of Africa, climate change is projected to but our understanding of how to model these impacts is full infrastructure), and damages to critical ecosystems A 2019 study showed that at least 13 large ports in Africa cause massive and, in some cases, irreversible damage. of complexities due to diverse underlying factors, ranging (mangroves, marine habitat). A 2019 World Bank study are facing severe erosion on beaches adjacent to them. Most of these ports are in West and North Africa. The port For example, African sea levels are currently rising slightly from ocean acidification to higher water temperatures, showed that in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo, coastal environmental degradation affect about 1.4 million people, of Nouakchott, in Mauritania, is a primary example of this faster than the global average. They are projected to deoxygenation, and changes in ocean currents. For caused around 13,000 deaths a year, and had an estimated crisis, having faced more massive beach erosion of about continue rising by between 0.4m and 0.5m by 2100 under example, the impacts of acidification and their evolution cost of about US$3.8 billion, or 5.3 percent for the four countries’ 20 meters per year over the past 30 years. A World Bank low-warming scenarios, and between 0.8m and 0.9m are less understood and difficult to project but may have GDP. In these four countries, 56 percent of the coastline is Call for Innovation in 2020 suggested solutions for port under high-warming scenarios. This increase in sea level, the most severe and widespread impacts. These impacts subject to an average erosion rate of 1.8 meters per year. sustainability and sediment management, each of which combined with more intense and frequent rainstorms, will be felt on shell-forming species, invertebrates, and coral require a significant commitment in governance, transparency, implies that the current 1-in-100-years coastal flooding associated species. Human activities such as sand mining, mangrove removal, and international collaboration. event will have a return period of between 10 and 20 years and the development of coastal infrastructure, ports, and river by 2050, and a return period of 5 years to annually by Climate change does not only affect marine biodiversity dams are disrupting the natural processes of coastal sand 2100, even under a moderate warming scenario. and fisheries. They are also dragging down the economies, livelihoods, and job opportunities of coastal communities. Marine heat waves are expected to continue to increase In Morocco, coastal erosion, coupled with plastic pollution, in frequency and intensity, especially around the Horn of threaten productive jobs in blue tourism. The tourism Governance and fragility challenges Africa. Climate change is leading to warming waters and industry and its connected value chains are a major source acidification. Rising sea-water temperatures will have of employment and account for 10 percent or more of GDP Weak governance—including inadequate regulatory frameworks, insufficient enforcement, and corruption—is behind most of significant effects on marine biodiversity by negatively in several of the region’s economies, including Morocco the challenges faced by environmental commons, from fisheries to marine and terrestrial biodiversity losses. The challenges are affecting primary production by phytoplankton, fish and Tunisia. In Togo, coastal erosion has resulted in rocky combined and amplified in coastal areas suffering from fragility and conflict. distribution, and fish abundance. Increasing water shorelines that prevent the local population landing their acidification will lead to coral reef bleaching, destroying the boats, thereby decreasing their fish catch and affecting habitat of fish and other marine life. Globally, projections their livelihoods. Coconut oil production also slows as indicate that climate change will reduce fish catches by coastal trees are taken by the sea. And in Côte d’Ivoire, 7.7 percent—and revenues from it by 10.4 percent—by 2050 climate change is responsible for the displacement of under a high emissions scenario. West African countries river mouths, resulting in economic difficulties for coastal will be some of the worst affected. communities due to the disappearance of marine and plant biodiversity as well as social difficulties as aspects of local cultural heritage, such as cemeteries, are taken by the sea. 8 I OVERVIEW © Freepik BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 9 Institutional development, governance, and coordination The complex challenges and risks—and the enormous marine biotechnology, transport, ports, logistics, wastewater, development and livelihood opportunities—of the blue solid waste management, and environmental protection. economies of Africa require a coordinated approach among Blue Economy activities and projects typically suffer from a wide range of economic sectors. These sectors include fragmented policies and budget planning, as well as from What is Needed fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, renewable energy, limited intersectoral cooperation. To develop the resilient Blue Economy, the African continent needs coordinated institutions with the necessary The sustainable development of blue economies in Africa skills and capacity, backed by clear mandates. Specifically, it needs to improve: needs focused and decisive action to make progress on • Horizontal coordination by developing adequate institutional four cross-cutting areas: institutional development and frameworks to guide planning and activities across various governance; spatial planning; data management and sectors, levels, and jurisdictional boundaries.  • Vertical coordination across national and subnational knowledge creation and dissemination; and financing. blue sector institutions. The long-term sustainable development benefits of a • Thematic coordination, which involves identifying resilient Blue Economy will be substantial, not least of common development challenges that require coordinated action across agencies at the which for the people whose jobs and livelihoods depend national and local level. Climate change on healthy ocean ecosystems. adaptation, jobs, and livelihoods are important examples of such shared challenges. • Spatial coordination of coastal territories to avoid compounding risks and to leverage development opportunities across sectors for multiple economic and livelihood benefits. • Coordination and integration of information systems to strengthen data and knowledge creation and dissemination to support decision-making. • Coordination with the private sector to bring small and large enterprises together with government institutions. Partnerships between the public and private sectors have shown to be useful in changing © Arne Hoel / World Bank the growth trajectory and accelerating the prosperity of coastal and marine economies. In most cases, developing a strong institutional framework Strengthened or new institutions and platforms are needed for the development of Africa’s Blue Economy will require a to achieve the multiple coordination dimensions described coordination entity (such as an inter-ministerial commission above. Morocco is one of the countries that is pioneering and/or regional coordination mechanisms) that can this approach to develop a climate resilient Blue Economy. oversee investments in blue sector activities. Institutional development and capacity building are indispensable Capacity building in key areas—from monitoring and for changing the growth trajectory of blue economies in enforcement to engagement with the private sector to technical Africa towards a more sustainable and resilient path. skills—also is needed. 10 I OVERVIEW © Freepik BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 11 Participatory marine spatial planning Innovative financing instruments Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a participatory process that MSP can help design coordinated coastal resilience programs Fully implementing a Blue Economy approach in Africa Africa’s blue economies need more grant financing brings together all key stakeholders to identify growth and at scale and identify possible low-carbon development and and addressing the ocean crisis, which includes climate to develop the diagnostics, data platforms, and tools job generation trajectories for coastal areas, together with growth pathways. This type of spatial planning can integrate change, requires scaling up the financial resources necessary to identify priority programs and the most investment needs, sustainability considerations, current and measures articulated in nationally determined contributions available. This scaling up will require fostering sustainable effective policy reforms. Equally important is having a future risks, and mitigation options. and other instruments, budget for those measures, and private investment, providing an enabling environment for robust pipeline of bankable projects that are shovel-ready. monitor their progress. Climate-informed spatial planning investors, and leveraging official development assistance Given the centrality of climate change as an amplifier of can help the private sector better understand climate risks and guarantee products to buy-down risk for private The process for accessing development finance can be current risks and pressures on coastal environments, climate- and invest in mitigation and adaptation measures to reduce sectors to invest in the higher-risk Blue Economy sectors. complex. To help countries successfully navigate this informed MSP considers current and future climate risks and them while and improve profitability, while respecting territory, it is important to convene governments, technical opportunities during the design, planning, and implementation the space required to maintain a healthy and productive The sustainable development of Africa’s blue economies partners, and donors so that they can establish trust and of programs. coastal environment. requires that countries have access to a full value chain collaboratively develop a clear path towards achieving the of finance that spans grants, debt, and equity. In addition, Sustainable Development Goals by strengthening their countries need to spend as effectively as possible blue economies. Data management and knowledge creation the limited resources available to them by leveraging coordination and sustainability. Countries also need to The private sector also has an important role to play in identify innovative sources of financing such as blue developing Africa’s Blue Economy. To attract private investors, bonds, new mechanisms, and platforms to crowd in the African countries may need policy reforms to create an The sustainable, climate-informed management of African being processed in the Cloud, leveraging the power of enabling environment and leverage official development coastal zones, their related catchments, and the exclusive new machine learning and other artificial intelligence tools. private sector, and a strategic deployment of concessional assistance and guarantee products to buy-down risk for the economic zone areas requires comprehensive, multi-sectoral Equally important will be ensuring that the resulting data resources such as from the International Development private sector. Several financial instruments can also be insights in a spatial context that are not possible with the current and knowledge are collated and available in the free, public Association, PROBLUE, or the Global Environment Facility. pursued to encourage partnership with the private sector. fragmented systems for data, knowledge, and analytics. domain for the benefit of a broad range of stakeholders. Today, a new range of technology-driven options can To seize the opportunities inherent in these innovations, provide disruptive solutions for the sustainable challenges of various stakeholder groups across Africa—governments, Fisheries Africa’s Blue Economy, specifically in the way decisions are the private sector, academia, civil society organizations, made, things are made, and how stakeholders interact with financiers, and the general public—will need to work each other. together to create an enabling environment. Creating an Africa’s fisheries need stronger monitoring, governance, and farming communities to adopt climate-resilient aquaculture enabling environment for the rollout of new technologies protections to support the sustainable development of Africa’s or mariculture to diversify their livelihoods, and climate As a start, many disruptive technologies are ushering in a would also help leverage the region’s youth dividend. Blue Economy while strengthening resilience against climate adaptation programs at scale to strengthen the fishery revolution in the way data is collected, processed, accessed, change. value chain. and visualized. A new range of Earth observation options (for The improved organization of—and access to—data and Coastal economies that depend significantly on fishery Finally, fisheries are a transboundary natural asset. Regional example, satellite images) are complementing traditional in- knowledge will help generate multi-sectoral, spatial, and resources need to protect marine and coastal resources, cooperation and coordination are needed to ensure the situ observations, which have also been modernized through sustainable development insights and attract more financing, build resilience to climate change, enhance the food security long-term health and resilience of the fishery resource new sensors that are connected to the internet, benefiting including from the private sector and other development and nutritional benefits of fish protein, support the sustainable and limit the negative externalities generated by national from the “internet of things” concept. This data is increasingly partners, at both the local and regional levels. livelihoods of vulnerable fishing communities, and enhance actions. A core element of such collaboration should focus the creation of more and better jobs within the fishery value on managing fishing capacity—the number and types chain. of boats and vessels—and the areas where fishing is allowed through a transparent registration and licensing A sustainable fisheries sector requires a strong and effective system. Local communities’ access rights to fisheries are policy and regulatory framework, sufficient capacity for key to ensuring that poor coastal populations that depend sustainable fisheries management, expanded marine on fish for their protein have what they need to meet their protected areas and/or no-take zones, the support of fish- nutritional needs. 12 I OVERVIEW BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA © Vincent PROGRAM Tremeau | 10 / World Bank © Freepik Pollution There is no single solution to marine plastic pollution. Rather, a coordinated set of actions is needed to achieve treating wastewater as waste and a move towards resource recovery. This includes the recovery of nutrients and organic How the World Bank Group Contributes systemic change that supports a circular economy. These matter for use as fertilizer, the generation of biogas through actions need to take place upstream and downstream within anaerobic digestion, and the use of sludge and sludge ash to value chains. Such solutions could include phasing out the manufacture bricks and other building materials. use of unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic products to Solutions and polymers; applying extended-producer responsibility Africa’s coastal countries need to develop reliable systems schemes; and raising citizens’ awareness to shift behavior to prepare for oil spills in the marine environment. Oil-spill and minimize single-use plastics. Fiscal instruments are also prevention and preparedness depends on a clear regulatory needed to promote a circular economy approach, to improve framework and national response systems that include infrastructure and services in solid waste management, and response protocols with contingency plans. Training and strengthen monitoring of plastic waste to proactively prevent the enhancement of oil-spill detection and monitoring are and remove pollution. crucial. Because oil pollution can have a transboundary impact, African states need to develop and maintain For wastewater, the use of practical, low-cost technologies effective regional cooperation mechanisms for marine that support circular economy approaches is gaining pollution emergencies. attention. Central to this approach is a shift away from This series of briefs proposes three key priorities for action at scale where the World Bank Group has a unique opportunity to provide support: • Reform institutional coordination platforms to accelerate large-scale investments, enhance their Biodiversity and marine ecosystems sustainability and resilience, and support private-sector growth through innovative financing mechanisms. • Strengthen regulations, enforcement, and transparent data collection and sharing for informed decision- The protection of coastal and marine ecosystems is fundamental for the sustainable growth of industries such as tourism and making by government agencies, large and small private companies, and communities. fisheries. This protection needs action to: • Investment in public goods financing and stakeholder capacity to roll out various actions, including • Improve governance. Coastal areas and territorial waters • Build strong on-the-ground enforcement and monitoring biodiversity conservation, fisheries management, and pollution and marine plastic reduction. are under the jurisdiction of several agencies without systems. Countries along Africa’s coastline desperately This section highlights a selection of World Bank projects, programs, studies, and policy advice sufficient coordination and incentives to improve the need to regain control over their exclusive economic that are providing scalable solutions to reduce coastal erosion and marine pollution while improving collaborative management of natural resources. Marine zones through at-sea patrolling of their open waters. the continent’s fisheries, biodiversity and ecosystem health, institutional capacity and coordination, spatial planning is an important tool to improve such The development and nurturing of partnerships with all supporting informed decision-making processes and the strategic use of innovative financial investments. governance, often driving the creation of new marine involved actors, including non-profit organizations, local protected areas and no-fishing zones to serve as grounds associations, beach management units, and the private for the recovery of coral reefs and overfished species. sector, will be essential. • Strengthen coastal and marine knowledge in the form of data collection and science-informed initiatives that Fisheries would allow better understanding and management of populations of priority fisheries. Increasing climate resilience requires focused monitoring of the ocean’s The World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Reports include fishery diagnostics with climate physical and biological changes. resilience elements, so guiding investments that aim to secure ecosystem health and protect fishery sector assets. With World Bank support, the following diagnostics have been completed, with various related outcomes reported: • Morocco completed a Blue Economy diagnostic, which contributed to the development of a national marine spatial plan (MSP) built around climate change considerations. The World Bank Group is now supporting Morocco’s Department of Maritime Fisheries in piloting the MSP at the sub-national level along Agadir, on the 180km coastline of the Souss Massa region, to identify the best possible location for a marine protected area (MPA) that aims to promote the recovery of fish stocks and protect marine ecosystems. In the national context, the creation of new MPAs contributes towards Morocco’s international commitments to form a network of protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the country’s coastline. MPAs protect habitats and maintain the vital marine processes and fisheries and will provide climate resilience. 14 I OVERVIEW © Freepik BLUE ECONOMY FOR RESILIENT AFRICA PROGRAM | 15 Biodiversity and marine ecosystems • Mozambique completed a Blue Economy • Mauritania developed an electronic fishery The World Bank supports various country and regional focused on conserving coastal, estuarine, and freshwater diagnostic and developed a national MSP monitoring, control, and surveillance system initiatives that aim to increase the resilience and adaptation ecosystems in three important Ramsar-classified sites while (POEMN) for its territorial waters, which came that reduces false reporting and provides of Africa’s coastal areas. A selection of World-Bank supported supporting income-generating activities such as aquaculture, into effect in November 2021. The MSP was real-time information to inform action, making initiatives in Morocco, Gabon, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, ecotourism, and small-scale fisheries for the benefit of developed under the World Bank’s First South West it the first country to use such an electronic and Zanzibar are highlighted below. local communities, which number about 70,000 people. Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared reporting system. Until recently, catch declarations from offshore and coastal vessels The Government of Morocco receives support through Over the past decade, the World Bank has partnered with Growth Project, which provided financial and were submitted to authorities in paper logbooks. the innovative Blue Economy Program for Results, which the Government of Mozambique in the development of technical support to the government of Mozambique seeks to address the growing impacts of climate change and a multisector integrated blue program to tackle coastal for the development of the MSP. The POEMN also • Senegal is also replicating Mauritania’s success develop an inclusive and resilient Blue Economy. Morocco’s and marine challenges. This program has supported established a multisectoral mechanism that focuses with electronic monitoring under the recently coastal areas contribute 59 percent of GDP and provide transformational policies and regulations, while facilitating on climate resilience in current uses, including approved World Bank Group-financed Senegal 52 percent of jobs in the country. The fisheries sector alone on-the-ground investments to support socioeconomic fisheries and potential future uses of marine space.   Natural Resource Management Project. contributes 1.5 percent of GDP and provides 700,000 direct development, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. and indirect jobs. However, coastal erosion threatens • The regional Program for Sustainable Fishery more than half of Morocco’s shoreline, which One of the key outcomes of the program to date is the Development in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden can cause economic loss through damage creation of the Maputo Environmental Protection Area (SFISH) integrated climate resilient actions into to coastal communities and lost tourism (MEPA), a sustainable-use land and seascape around subnational fishery planning.  revenues. Low-income, marginalized Maputo National Park that effectively increases the Community-based co-management is the most practical solution for the majority of the world’s populations—especially women, country’s marine conservation area sixfold. The creation fisheries. Under such a management system, responsibility for resources is shared between youth, rural populations, and of the MEPA also effectively creates southern Africa’s the government and users. The World Bank’s West Africa Regional Fisheries Program has small enterprises along the first transboundary marine corridor with South Africa’s successfully implemented community-based co-management at 12 community management coast—are vulnerable as they iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site. pilots in Senegal. With the program’s support, these communities designed resource often lack resources to adapt management measures, with one site reporting a 133 percent improvement in productivity to intensifying weather events The World Bank is helping the Government of Kenya after management measures were implemented. Eight of the pilot sites have also been such as floods, landslides, protect its coastal and marine ecosystems to harness the full granted management rights in legally ‎recognized (gazetted) co-management areas.   droughts, and heat waves. economic opportunities of the country’s blue capital. In addition to restoring mangroves under the World Bank-supported The program supports Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development investments for enhancing project, the World Bank is helping Kenya engage in marine coastal resilience through tree spatial planning to protect the country’s fish stocks by more planting, fencing, eradication of effectively implementing and enforcing fishing regulations. Awareness-raising and dissemination of information about sustainable and climate-adapted invasive species, soil protection fisheries is critical to create an enabling environment for accountability and build ownership of the in pristine coastal forests, and With the assistance of the World Bank-supported South- local actions. To date, the following media education drives have been supported, among others: stabilizing sand dune areas. It West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared will also implement participatory Growth Project (SWIOFish), the Government of Tanzania • In Senegal, the World Bank Group supported • In Ghana, African journalists © Freepik management plans for biodiversity has strengthened monitoring, control, and surveillance the production of weekly, hour-long videos in received training on fact-based conservation and valorization in seven of fishing activities along its coastline. This has resulted which government and community representatives fisheries reporting in workshops sites of biological and ecological interest; discussed (in French or the local language, Wolof) supported by the World Bank Group in in a dramatic decrease in blast fishing since 2016. To protect Agadir from flooding through watershed various topics relating to marine ecosystems and partnership with the African Union Inter-African further manage protected areas coral reef habitat, the management of coastal areas; and develop sustainable fish livelihoods, including marine plastic pollution, Bureau for Animal Resources, the United States project has also supported the establishment of the coral stock management plans through community participation aquaculture, co-management, coastal erosion, and Agency for International Development (USAID), and reef benthic monitoring system, and the gathered data through establishing three MPAs for fisheries management. forced migration. The weekly shows, which are the West Africa Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission. informs ongoing marine protected areas management. available on La Voix du Littoral’s (the Voice of the Accurate reporting helps to build awareness about With World Bank support, Gabon is conserving biodiversity in Coast’s) YouTube and Facebook pages, were initially what is needed to secure the sustainable production parks, buffer zones, and coastal wetlands. Wetland ecosystems And in Zanzibar, SWIOFish has is supporting seaweed supported by NDF and are now funded under the of fishery resources, so creating an enabling provide critical habitats for biodiversity and drinking water for farmers. Seaweed farming is currently the most practiced World Bank-managed West Africa Coastal Areas environment for reforms.  urban centers. They also sustain local fisheries production and mariculture activity in Zanzibar, providing employment to Management Program.  reduce vulnerability to climate change effects. The Sustainable close to 16,000 farmers, 74 percent of which are women. Management of Critical Wetland Ecosystems project 16 I OVERVIEW © Freepik Coastal erosion Marine pollution and plastics The West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) Management Program, launched in November 2018, was developed The World Bank provides analytical support and investments tailored to Africa’s regional and national contexts and the various in partnership with West African countries. The program supports regional institutions and countries’ efforts pollution challenges. With the World Bank’s technical and analytical support: to improve the management of their shared coastal resources and reduce the natural and man-made risks affecting coastal communities. The WACA Regional Support Office for the Implementation of Coastal Resilience • Morocco has prepared a national strategy and an action the government is starting to prepare a “coastline free from Investment Projects in West Africa (ResIP1) project has supported interventions in several countries, including: plan for plastic-free coastlines based on analytical work plastic” strategy and a corresponding action plan. Also in under the MENA BLUE program. Tunisia, the Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater Project • Mauritania, where the ResIP1 project is financing the • Benin and Togo, where the ResIP1 project is financing seeks to improve the discharge of treated wastewater in the reinforcement of coastal dunes protecting Nouakchott the construction of coastal erosion protection measures • Tanzania used drone images to assess marine plastic Mediterranean Sea by, among other actions, strengthening through biological and mechanical fixation, as well as in the transboundary site between Agbodrafo and pollution at 11 coastal hotspots in the first such assessment water-quality monitoring and promoting the reuse of treated the filling of priority breaches. The dune of Nouakchott Grand-Popo, which is strongly affected by flooding and in the country. The drone footage was supplemented by wastewater for agriculture. is the capital city’s main protection against marine coastal erosion. The protection measures used include on-site hand-sorting.  submersion. Most of the city is between 0m and 4m the building of groynes (shore-protection structures built • Senegal embarked on its Municipal Solid Waste above mean sea level, and any overtopping of the dunes perpendicularly to the shoreline) and a large-scale beach • Ghana is developing an extended plastic producer Management Project, an initiative designed to help waste- by the sea would result in entire districts being flooded. nourishment operation inspired by the Dutch sand motor. responsibility policy for plastic packaging, including an pickers with social, entrepreneurial, and skills development. Restoration interventions such as lagoon dredging, e-registration system, under the framework of the Greater The project is also funding a recycling facility to improve riverbank stabilization, and revegetation of riverbanks are Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project. This management of the recycling process. also being undertaken in the lower Mono river basin to project is improving flood risk management and solid waste increase community resilience to flooding and erosion. management in the Odaw River Basin while also improving • Egypt is improving the management of all waste streams access to basic infrastructure and services to targeted (municipal solid waste, health care waste, electronic communities. waste, and plastic waste) by applying circular economy and extended producer responsibility concepts under the • Mozambique analyzed plastic leakage to the marine Egypt Greater Cairo Air Pollution Management and Climate environment, consumer behavior, institutional and Change Project, a US$200 million project supported by legal frameworks, factors to reduce marine litter, the Global Environmental Facility (US$10 million) and and circular economy opportunities linked to marine PROBLUE (US$0.485 million). A project to develop a litter under the Mozambique PROBLUE program regional oil spill contingency plan has also resulted in the establishment of a regional marine emergency mutual aid (MozAzul). The World Bank also supported the center in Egypt. Plastics Social Innovation Process. • Benin is conducting underwater and surface inspections • Nigeria is conducting a series of analyses that includes an of abandoned oil platform facilities in Sèmè-Podji with the assessment of solid waste management and marine plastic aim of updating feasibility studies to decommission the pollution; value-chain diagnostics; and an assessment of facilities and implement an environmental monitoring plan health care facilities’ plastic waste management under to reduce pollution risks at the sites. COVID-19. • Tunisia conducted an assessment of the status of marine plastic pollution under the MENA BLUE program. Based on the assessment results and the analyses of policy actions, 18 I OVERVIEW © Freepik © Freepik Data management, knowledge creation, Institutional development and coordination and financial instruments The US$350 million Blue Economy Program for Results in model spearheaded by the inter-ministerial commission on Morocco was approved on May 23, 2022, and promotes the Blue Economy to coordinate and break sectoral silos. With the World Bank Group’s support, various African Recently, WACA published an e-book to disseminate sustainable and resilient development of the Blue Economy. The commission will lead and coordinate the development governments and regional entities are modernizing the results of its call for innovation to tackle The program serves as an implementation measure of a Blue Economy strategy, addressing trade-offs, analyzing their institutions and leveraging new technologies to coastal erosion and flooding associated with for the country’s updated 2021 nationally determined synergies, and setting a shared vision and objectives across strengthen their base of coastal and marine data and large commercial ports in West Africa. A similar contribution and supports key investments in adaptation sectors. The program will also use behavioral science insights knowledge. This, in turn, supports informed policy-making book on plastic pollution is being developed. measures to build coastal resilience. It promotes the to foster collaborative leadership within the blue sectors.   and the design of Blue Economy investment programs. inclusion of women and the youth, especially in coastal The World Bank Group offers a wide range of financial tourism and aquaculture, while using the Blue Economy The Program for Results is innovative in its design to create The World Bank has helped several countries draw on instruments to support the public and private sectors. as a vehicle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.   a transformational change for the government to work cutting-edge technologies to develop tools that meet These instruments include: loans and credits to collaboratively across the blue sectors under the leadership of their data gathering and knowledge management finance investments, capacity building, and technical Partnership and collaboration are heart of this program. the commission. The commission will use budget programming needs. Among other initiatives to date, Guinea and assistance; loans and credits to support policy reforms; The program takes a multi-disciplinary approach to to support effective planning of the Blue Economy. This Morocco have developed online data visualization grants for technical assistance and global public goods; promote vertical and horizontal cooperation between blue operation is a “step forward” given the fact that Morocco’s and management tools, Tanzania has drawn on Earth loans and equity investment to the private sector; sector actors. Led by Morocco’s Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Economy and Finance is taking the lead to observation technologies using drones to monitor guarantees to governments to mobilize private financing; Finance, the program involves nine governmental entities; develop the Blue Economy through the optimization of budget plastic pollution, and Kenya has developed an online and guarantees to support private investments. in fact, collaboration and coordination are the center of the programming on the blue activities in close collaboration with electronic database that will be used to support program and what it has been specifically designed for. the sectors and the regions.  future spatial planning and fisheries management. The October 2018 issuance of the world’s first sovereign The program will promote a new collaborative operational blue bond in the Seychelles highlights the World Bank’s In addition to supporting technological innovation at the role at the forefront of financial innovation for the Blue country level, the World Bank has supported data and Economy. At the time, the Seychelles had issued knowledge projects through the West Africa Coastal a sovereign blue bond with a ceiling value of US$15 Areas Management Program (WACA), the South West million, and a maturity of 10 years. The blue bond, as well Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth as the program of marine and ocean-related activities Project (SWIOFish), and various other regional bodies. that it supports, were prepared with the assistance of the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Through WACA, a regional Observatoire regional des This support included a partial World Bank guarantee littoraux d’Afrique de l’Ouest (West African Regional ($5 million) and a concessional loan from the GEF ($5 Coastal Observatory, or ORLOA) was developed for million), which will partially subsidize the payment of the monitoring the coastline. The observatory is hosted by bond coupons. These credit-enhancement instruments the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (Center for Ecological allowed for a lower price of the bond by partially de- Monitoring) in Senegal. As part of this effort, the 2020 risking the investment for impact investors, but also by State of the Coast Report tracks changing conditions reducing the effective interest rate for the Seychelles.  in 12 coastal countries and makes recommendations PROBLUE is a multi-donor trust fund that was created to that will inform decision-making and policy formulation. bring transformation impact to client countries. The World Bank has raised resources to bring about transformative A partnership between WACA and the European change by raising more than US$200 million for Space Agency is also providing the region with Earth PROBLUE. PROBLUE is supported by 14 donors in observation services and capacity building to better 11 countries and the European Union. Since 2018, it monitor marine pollution, oil spills, and shoreline has provided more than US$86 million grant financing conditions. France has also provided Benin, Togo, across 53 countries, which in turn has unlocked and Senegal with historical data—including sea US$4 billion finance from the World Bank, which has charts, bathymetric surveys, and aerial photos—to made a difference in building sustainable blue economies help the countries better understand the evolution across countries from West Africa to East Asia and of coastal erosion processes over several decades. many small island developing states in between.  20 I OVERVIEW © Vincent Tremeau / World Bank