Ocean Governance, sustainable Blue Economy, coastal management and marine conservation and restoration in the Western Indian Ocean – Formulation mission Regional

DG EuropeAid Cooperation - Project Dates:
September 2022 - March 2023

Description of Project:
The overall objective of the assignment was to support the identification and formulation of a regional initiative in the Western Indian Ocean to support and boost a sustainable regional ocean governance and management. The regional WIO programme on Blue Economy, Ocean governance and coastal conservation and restoration is planned to be part of the Annual Action Plan 2023.

The specific objective of the assignment was to prepare all the necessary elements for a draft Action Document (AD) to implement a programme on ocean governance, sustainable blue economy and conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean. This required Poseidon to:

Analyse previous and ongoing interventions in the region, draw lessons, complete, develop and prioritise the geographic scope, the components/priorities of the regional programme;
Propose the set-up of the regional programme, notably the implementation modalities, the relevant anchoring and architecture;
Formulate of a draft Action Document.

Services Provided:

Poseidon provided the team leader / Ocean Governance Specialist and a fisheries specialist to support this project formulation. Visits were made to Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar and South Africa, as well as the Commission headquarters in Brussels. The assignment included:

An identification including:
- a situational analysis of environmental, social, and economic sustainability issues, strategic orientations considering political frameworks and ownership, priority interventions and priority areas, key stakeholders and ongoing projects mapping;
- consideration of existing and potential financing options for blue economy development in the region, with a particular focus on caostal aquaculture, fisheries and tourism;
- allied to the above, development of innovative financial mechanisms to improve access of SME businesses in aquaculture and fisheries to affordable finance, credit and banking systems;
- development of nature-based solutions for coastal development and conservation;
- a first proposal of : i) possible actions (avoiding overlaps and building synergies with other existing and foreseen projects in the region, sub-regions and countries); ii) potential implementing partners; iii) possible implementation modalities; iv) governance and steering of the programme. In line with the NDICI guidelines for programming, the proposals shall be guided by EU strategic policy objectives, bear in mind subsidiarity and complementarity, and apply an eco-system and human rights-based approach.
A formulation of a draft Action Document for a new action on Regional Ocean Governance and Blue Economy initiative for the Western Indian Ocean.