25 July 2023: Communities of Practice Masterclass
In celebration of African Day of Oceans and Seas on Tuesday 25th of July 2023, Ocean Innovation Africa will host an online masterclass on Communities of Practice in the Ocean space.
Effective communities of practice in the ocean sector are essential for maintaining biodiversity, supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities, linking investment to underfunded ocean-minded businesses and fostering innovation in the ocean-impact space. However, there are issues that make collaboration, knowledge sharing and innovation challenging, for example,
- Geographical, cultural and language barriers,
- Changing problems and needs due to climate change,
- Research to policy bottlenecks, and
- Lack of access to capital at a local level.
This workshop will unpack the requirements for building productive communities of practice in the ocean space to help protect the health and vitality of our oceans, realise the latent potential of the blue economy as an avenue for investment, and empower coastal communities.
26 - 28 Sepember 2023: Stakeholder Workshop Series
Ocean Innovation Africa will convene a series of stakeholder workshops in from the 26th to the 28th of September 2023. The workshops will bring together key stakeholders capable of informing and driving change in their field to collaborate on tangible action on some of the challenges and solutions discussed at the summit.
The workshops will be hosted online and facilitated by topic experts, with up to 12 stakeholders from diverse fields making up the core group for each topic, with the objective of identifying shared challenges, goals and opportunities for collaboration on more effective action in Africa in the following fields:
Developing solutions to ocean challenges requires a thorough understanding of those challenges and the factors that affect them. Universities are well-placed to identify impactful opportunities as well as design solutions, and science-based innovation is key to meeting sustainable development goals. But the innovation pipeline tends to focus on ideas that are ready to go to market, while the research community is not sufficiently integrated or capacitated to generate investable solutions from research.
This workshop will bring together African universities, ecosystem support organisations, industry experts, investors and innovators to explore means of facilitating the transfer of knowledge and ideas between these stakeholder groups and generating more support for and interest in science-based innovation.
Proposed discussion points:
- Blue Economy challenges and current progress in terms of solutions
- Opportunities for and importance of universities in relation to innovative solutions, technology, and entrepreneurship to address challenges
- Means of generating more interest/focus on blue economy innovation in research communities
- Better integration of research community in innovation ecosystems
- Investment opportunities and needs for research-based innovation
- Information and incentives from industry to drive solution-focused research
Register here to attend the OIA Blue Economy Opportunities for Universities workshop.
There is a difficult relationship between interests in generating revenue from the ocean and protecting the rights and livelihoods of coastal communities that have traditionally relied on its resources. The injustice to communities goes beyond the depletion of resources that often results, to the failure to uphold their rights, the lack of inclusion in decision-making, and the lack of compensation for resulting losses.
Policy decisions need to include all types of knowledge and voices in an authentic way that has an impact on decisions taken. Indigenous knowledge represents an enormous resource that is not being accessed. There is a need for more broad-based, consensus-driven, community-driven knowledge informing ocean policy at a global level.
While there is still a long way to go, there are numerous examples now of indigenous communities using their voice to hold the government accountable and where indigenous knowledge has been integrated in governance processes. These examples need to be shared to understand what steps were taken to create a successful framework so that the process can be replicated, not just in Africa but in communities around the globe.
The contributions gathered in this workshop will be used in the drafting of a white paper that will be presented at global level to organisations driving ocean governance with an aim to facilitating inclusion of indigenous voices and knowledge in policies and planning.
Register here to attend the OIA 2023 Indigenous Stewardship workshop.
A vital and often overlooked component of Africa’s blue economy are its inland waters and the communities, transport systems, and industries that depend on them. Further to this, inland waters have considerable impact on coastlines in the form of freshwater discharge into the ocean from rivers and drainage systems.
The impact of freshwater systems on coastal waters is a critical and growing threat to coastal economies across South Africa. From plastic pollution to sewage, industrial and agricultural runoff, poor water quality has detrimental effects on ecosystem and human health.
Addressing this issue requires very localised management interventions and communication between coastal and inland authorities, a situation complicated by the number of municipal departments under which it falls.
This workshop seeks to convene stakeholders in freshwater and coastal management, as well as from affected/invested communities and industries, to explore challenges related to freshwater management and its integration with coastal management, as well as to highlight actions needed to address them.
Register here to attend the OIA Inland Waters workshop.
Safeguarding marine and coastal communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure against changing environmental conditions is vital to sustainable development of the African ocean economy. Accurate forecasting based on reliable and comprehensive data will allow for more effective management of coastal resources and mitigation of risks related to over-exploitation, climate change, and pollution.
Forecasting models need to be able to take into consideration not only environmental and geographic variables but also socio-economic context specific to the areas and communities in question. Strategic collaborations and transfer of knowledge and technology have greatly enhanced forecasting capacity in developing nations. Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in infrastructure, resources, and data that still limit the field, in particular for remote and under-served coastal communities.
This workshop aims to explore needs and opportunities for innovation to strengthen forecasting capabilities, improve risk assessment and support resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems in Africa, as well as to ensure that forecasts and related information are relevant, accessible, and usable for such communities.
Participants will share their experiences and insights on the subject, and discuss immediate priorities in the field, exploring opportunities for collaboration and knowledge transfer, as well as strategies for mobilizing funding and resources to support research and innovation in coastal forecasting and risk mitigation.
Register here to attend the OIA Forecasting & Risk Mitigation workshop
Join us in leveraging the OIA community to accelerate Africa’s blue future!