Africa's Blue Economy and Why it is the 'New Frontier'

38 of the 54 African States are coastal States; 90 percent of Africa's imports and exports are conducted by sea; and freshwater and ocean fish contribute to the nutritional security of over 200 million Africans. In other words, there is an Africa under the sea - a "blue economy," which the AU calls the "New Frontier of African Renaissance." In his blog post Africa's Blue Economy: An Opportunity Not to be Missed, ECA's Carlos Lopes argues that "a better understanding of the enormous opportunities emerging from investing and reinvesting in Africa's aquatic and marine spaces" can tip the balance away "from illegal harvesting, degradation, and depletion..." of the continent's blue economy. Read more in the ECA's Africa's Blue Economy Policy Handbook. More on the ECA in this BRIEFING.