DIaDeRC Member Leads a Book Project -Blue Economy in African Coastal Communities

DIaDeRC Team member who serves as the West Africa Coordinator, Dr Alhassan A. Karakara, leads other erudite scholars (Georgina Yaa Oduro, James Atta Peprah, Jacob Nunoo and Denis W. Aheto) in editing a book.  The book is titled Blue Economy in African Coastal Communities: Policies, Experiences and Practicalities and is to be published by Palgrave Macmillan.

About the Book

The ocean’s importance is so great that to say that human beings cannot do without it is almost stating the obvious. In human history, the ocean has offered enormous support to human life. Aside from the ocean being a source of employment to billions across the globe, with about 97% of fishermen coming from developing countries, it also has over 40% of women involved in the fishing value chain globally and Africa in particular (Food and Agricultural Organisation-FAO, 2020). The ocean is also a source of food, fodder, and hydrocarbons (for electricity) for many. Fishing is the most prominent human engagement with the ocean within the Blue Economy sector (Sakhuja, 2015), and thus, there is a tendency that fishing, if practised unsustainably, could pose a threat to the degradation of the marine ecosystem (World Bank & United Nations Department for Economics and Social Affairs-UNDESA, 2017). FAO (2016) estimated that about 57% of fish stocks are over-exploited or depleted with recovery consisting of only about 30%. This has raised concerns about how the water bodies can be sustainably managed as development spaces. The sustainable exploitation and use of ocean resources is known as the blue economy (United Nations Environmental Program-UNEP, 2013; African Development Bank-AfDB, 2018; United Nations Economic Commission for Africa-UNECA, 2016; UNEP, 2015; UNDESA, 2014). The components of the blue economy range from fisheries, tourism, maritime transport, and renewable energy (AfDB, 2016; Akinyemi et al., 2019).

The blue economy entails reorienting marine rules, regulations, policies, practices, and guidelines on marine resource extractions and usage. However, such changes, when taking place, could limit the ocean resource use, and this will, in the short term, immediately affect those who (fishermen and fisherwomen) depend on the ocean directly for livelihood (Beaumont, 1997). Thus, such changes should consider biophysical and socioeconomic concerns (Karakara et al., 2023). This is because marine resource regulations have direct implications on people’s access to, use, and control of marine resources. These implications could affect the marine communities’ economic and social structures that affect the populace. Thus, enhancing the coping strategies of marine communities is vital to adapting to any possible effects that might emanate from the economic and social spheres of the community. This is the idea of social resilience in marine communities (Keck & Sakdapolrak, 2013; Egbetokun et al., 2020).

The need to study the blue economy is necessary for many reasons. First, its study could provide an understanding of the issues to focus on when drafting policies relating to the blue economy to help achieve sustainable development. Second, an appreciation of the blue economy tenets, nature, and likely opposing issues that could affect it will help to achieve negotiations on the way forward to protection and sustainable use of the ocean (UN General Assembly, 2015; Wright et al., 2018) leading to the attainment of some of the SDG’s targets in the long run. Third, there have been different policy documents (not homogenous) by different authorities, bodies, and countries on the blue economy, and the fact that the concept (blue economy) is evolving, there is much need to conceptualize this to offer a further understanding and contextualization of the concept to inform policymaking. Although the ocean contributes immensely to Africa’s socio-economic development, there is a paucity of evidence-based literature on the blue economy in Africa.

Sub-Themes

The edited book seeks to bridge this gap by examining the blue economy policy discourse in Africa under the following themes: potential chapters of interest include, but are not limited to, studies that examine:
Blue economy policy discourse in Africa: some lessons so far. Chapters that look at some specific policies in a country or between countries
 Social resilience and coastal livelihood in Africa’s blue economy
 The blue economy and SDGs connection
 Blue economy and rural transformation (poverty reduction, social inclusion, etc.) empirical chapters are most welcome
 Gender issues in coastal communities and the blue economy
 Traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems in coastal Africa and the blue economy discourse
 Issues of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities
 Marine protected areas (MPAs) and its impact on the blue economy of Africa
 Social and financial issues in coastal communities
 Coastal conservation policies and practices
 Coastal tourism and the blue economy
 Maritime transport and the blue economy
 Marine pollution and the blue economy

The book explores the range of practical local policies (including traditional and indigenous knowledge systems) and marine conservation activities (like Marine Protected Areas – MPAs) across Africa that are conducive to blue economy principles. Gender issues in coastal communities and the blue economy are also critical discourses explored in this book.

A unique feature of this book is its lessons on challenges and opportunities in Africa regarding the blue economy since this subject has not been explored much in the African context. The editors seek contributions from different authors across Africa. The interdisciplinary positions of diverse authors from different African countries will provide interesting cases and understanding that will enrich the readers’ knowledge and perspectives of the blue economy across the continent. The book will consider studies that are more concentrated on coastal countries (38 out of the 54 countries) since the blue economy is dependent on ocean resources and coastal communities. Other studies emanating from experiences of conservation efforts on inland water resources are also welcome.

Mode of Submission and Enquiries

Interested authors should submit an Abstract of about 250 words describing the chapter and stating the main questions/case(s) to be examined and methodology/data use. A short bio of the author(s) is also required.

All submissions should be sent to the email: blueeconomybook@ucc.edu.gh and copy the lead editor,
Dr. Alhassan A. Karakara (alhassan.karakara@ucc.edu.gh or/ alhassan.karakara@diaderc.org)

Deadline: 7th December 2024.

Note: Submission and Publication is FREE.