Despite carrying 80% of the world’s trade, absorbing 30% of its carbon-dioxide emissions and providing food security for almost 3 billion people, the global "blue economy" (oceans and waterways) is suffering from acute underinvestment, and nowhere more so than in Africa.
In the face of heightened economic volatility and tightening financial constraints, the transition to a more sustainable blue economy represents a major, largely underappreciated opportunity for the continent.
This is not just some abstract idea. Given investors’ appetite for sustainable, scalable returns, the opportunity is hiding in plain sight, and governments are waking up to it. Spanning more than 30,000 kilometers of coastline, Africa’s blue economy does $300 billion worth of business each year and it is uniquely positioned to benefit from the broader shift to more sustainable models.
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