BLUE AFRICA

SUMMIT

Days

Hours

Minutes

Thursday, January 29, 2026

About the event

The upcoming meeting of the four expert colleges aims to develop a strategic document that will serve as a compass for the continent. The Africa Blue Compass initiative places the ocean at the heart of Africa’s future and complements existing efforts. Born out of the Blue Africa Summit, it brings together experts, decision-makers, private-sector actors and civil society to define an ambitious and sustainable maritime strategy. Its goal is to transform marine resources into genuine drivers of development, innovation and resilience for coastal communities and for the continent as a whole.

LOCATION

The Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Rabat

DATE

Thursday, January 29, 2026

FORMAT

Hybrid

vision

Our vision

Fully connect Africa to other continents through its ports, straits and maritime channels, thereby representing a dynamic network linking the Indian Ocean, Mozambique Channel, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean.

This perspective holds that African growth, including that of landlocked countries, largely depends on international trade, more than 90% of which occurs via maritime routes. Other partners are involved in promoting responsible ocean management.

Sessions

Scheduled

09/10/2025
10/10/2025

13h30 - 13h45
Welcome
13h45 - 15h00
Opening of the Blue Africa Summit, in the presence of the organizers, senior Moroccan authorities, and representatives of national and international governance
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
From Abu Dhabi to Tangier : connecting regions around one Ocean
15h30 - 17h40
Ambitions and propositions : a Sustainable Blue African Pact
17h40 - 18h10
The Trophées de l’innovation by IRD – Pitch Session
18h10 - 18h20
Announcement of the 4 colleges of work
18h20 - 18h40
Group picture
20h00 - 21h00
Gala Dinner - Trophées de l’innovation – Laureates Annoucement

Following a closed Q&A session between the nominees and the jury, and subsequent deliberations, the two award winners will be announced during the Gala Dinner.

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Welcome
09h00 - 09h15
Plenary Presentation of the Colleges

09h15 - 11h00

Colleges of Experts in Science, Education, and the Blue Economy & Finance (Click to discover the speakers)

The roundtables are held in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online participation.

Parallel sessions work
College science, research & education Koffigan Agbati CEO of TMSU International, Togo Driss Tazi Advisor at COMHAFAT Fedra Francocci Researcher at the National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment, Italia Mohamed Najih Director of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Morocco Bouchta El Moumni President, Researcher and Lecturer, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Morocco Marine Herrmann Oeanographer, Research Director, Scientific Advisor for Coasts and Ocean IRD, France Gil Mahé Research Director at IRD, specialist in the major rivers of Africa, and co-coordinator of the OMELI observatory in Tunisia Suchana Apple Chavanich Professor of Marine Sciences, Chulalongkorn University – Thailand Marina Levy Research Director, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France Valérie Verdier Chairwoman and CEO, French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) Hamid Halim President of the Maroc Bleu Foundation Pr Kahime Kholoud President of the International Center for Research and Capacity Building (CI2RC); Higher School of Technology Essaouira and Coordinator of the "Essaouira Ocean Blue City" project Naima Hamoumi Coordinator of the Moroccan Network for Marine Sciences and Engineering, and retired university professor specializing in marine geosciences Laré Penn Senior Lecturer, University of Lomé Alassane Sarr * Director of the University Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal Tamaryn Morris * Director of Artisanal Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, Mauritania Lilian Diarra * Project Manager - Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa (OPERA) · Mercator Ocean International Coordinated by: Amel Hamza-Chaffai Member of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences – Beit al Hikma & Chair of the IOC-UNESCO Africa Task Force. & Marine Herrmann Oeanographer, Research Director, Scientific Advisor for Coasts and Ocean IRD, France	College economy & blue finance Claire Jolly Head of Ocean Economy and Space Economy (IPSO Unit), Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD, France Faustine Sinzogan Focal Point for the Abidjan Convention and Marine Ecosystem Protection Division, Benin Martin Ndende Professor, Legal Advisor and International Expert on Maritime Affairs, Cameroon Timothée Ourbak – Responsable du Pôle Ressources Naturelles, AFD Willy Mbusisi Heukoua Environmental Specialist and Deputy Director of Studies and Environmental Protection, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon Joseph Magloire Olinga Deputy Director, Department of Environment, Health and Living Environment, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon Hamadi Baba Hamadi FNP President, Mauritania Éric Lafontaine Director, Guyane Développement Innovation – France/Guyana Aly Aoubeck Director of Artisanal Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, Mauritania Raphael Danglade Lead Portfolio Manager, Climate and Development, Africa-Europe Foundation Jean-Renaud Bikoe Foreign Affairs Advisor, serving at the United Nations Directorate, Ministry of External Relations, Cameroon Hassan Agouzoul Director SDG Action Strategy Center Akouri Fadl Coordination and Communication Officer Benabbou Abdelouahed Consultant Expert to COMAIP Naitlho Al Mahdi Representative of SJOVIK MOROCCO, Member of COMAIP Moukhlis Farah Executive Assistant of COMAIP Demetrio Bocuma Mene * Programme Analyst UNDP Ibrahim Ali Mohamed * President of the Network of Young Entrepreneurs and Blue Economy Expert, Comores Nicole du Plessis * Marine Projects Science Officer, Ocean20, South Africa David Vivas Eugui * Chief a.i. Ocean & Circular Economy Unit, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, Division on International Trade and Commodities, UNCTAD Ludovic Arnaud * Junior Professional Programme Officer at UNCTAD Sekula Robson * CEO, SEG Group, Liberia Henry-Serge KEMGANG * Veterinary Economist, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) / Yaoundé, Cameroon Coordinated by: Claire Jolly & Martin Ndende

Parallel sessions work

College science, research & education

Koffigan Agbati CEO of TMSU International, Togo
Driss Tazi Advisor at COMHAFAT
Fedra Francocci Researcher at the National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Study of Anthropogenic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment, Italia
Mohamed Najih Director of the National Institute of Fisheries Research, Morocco
Bouchta El Moumni President, Researcher and Lecturer, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Morocco
Marine Herrmann Oeanographer, Research Director, Scientific Advisor for Coasts and Ocean IRD, France
Gil Mahé Research Director at IRD, specialist in the major rivers of Africa, and co-coordinator of the OMELI observatory in Tunisia
Suchana Apple Chavanich Professor of Marine Sciences, Chulalongkorn University – Thailand
Marina Levy Research Director, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
Valérie Verdier Chairwoman and CEO, French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)
Hamid Halim President of the Maroc Bleu Foundation
Pr Kahime Kholoud President of the International Center for Research and Capacity Building (CI2RC); Higher School of Technology Essaouira and Coordinator of the "Essaouira Ocean Blue City" project
Naima Hamoumi Coordinator of the Moroccan Network for Marine Sciences and Engineering, and retired university professor specializing in marine geosciences
Laré Penn Senior Lecturer, University of Lomé
Alassane Sarr * Director of the University Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal
Tamaryn Morris * Director of Artisanal Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, Mauritania
Lilian Diarra * Project Manager - Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa (OPERA) · Mercator Ocean International

Coordinated by: Amel Hamza-Chaffai Member of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences – Beit al Hikma & Chair of the IOC-UNESCO Africa Task Force. & Marine Herrmann Oeanographer, Research Director, Scientific Advisor for Coasts and Ocean IRD, France

College economy & blue finance

Claire Jolly Head of Ocean Economy and Space Economy (IPSO Unit), Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, OECD, France
Faustine Sinzogan Focal Point for the Abidjan Convention and Marine Ecosystem Protection Division, Benin
Martin Ndende Professor, Legal Advisor and International Expert on Maritime Affairs, Cameroon
Timothée Ourbak – Responsable du Pôle Ressources Naturelles, AFD
Willy Mbusisi Heukoua Environmental Specialist and Deputy Director of Studies and Environmental Protection, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon
Joseph Magloire Olinga Deputy Director, Department of Environment, Health and Living Environment, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon
Hamadi Baba Hamadi FNP President, Mauritania
Éric Lafontaine Director, Guyane Développement Innovation – France/Guyana
Aly Aoubeck Director of Artisanal Fisheries and Marine Aquaculture, Mauritania
Raphael Danglade Lead Portfolio Manager, Climate and Development, Africa-Europe Foundation
Jean-Renaud Bikoe Foreign Affairs Advisor, serving at the United Nations Directorate, Ministry of External Relations, Cameroon
Hassan Agouzoul Director SDG Action Strategy Center
Akouri Fadl Coordination and Communication Officer
Benabbou Abdelouahed Consultant Expert to COMAIP
Naitlho Al Mahdi Representative of SJOVIK MOROCCO, Member of COMAIP
Moukhlis Farah Executive Assistant of COMAIP
Demetrio Bocuma Mene * Programme Analyst UNDP
Ibrahim Ali Mohamed * President of the Network of Young Entrepreneurs and Blue Economy Expert, Comores
Nicole du Plessis * Marine Projects Science Officer, Ocean20, South Africa
David Vivas Eugui * Chief a.i. Ocean & Circular Economy Unit, Trade, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Branch, Division on International Trade and Commodities, UNCTAD
Ludovic Arnaud * Junior Professional Programme Officer at UNCTAD
Sekula Robson * CEO, SEG Group, Liberia
Henry-Serge KEMGANG * Veterinary Economist, Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA) / Yaoundé, Cameroon

Coordinated by: Claire Jolly & Martin Ndende

11h00 - 11h20
Coffee break

11h20 - 12h50

Colleges of Experts in Governance & Territories and Civil Society (Click to discover the speakers)

The roundtables are held in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online participation.

Parallel sessions work
Colleges governance & territories Azza Jiddou Ministry of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure, Mauritania Edoh Komla President, Regional Maritime Council, Togo Alexis Aquereburu Mayor, Communes of the Lakes (Aného), Togo Marieme Bekaye Independent Expert in Environment and Sustainable Development and member of the Royal Moroccan Academy, Mauritania Robin Degron Director, Plan Bleu Alessandra Sensi Head, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Samuel Megwa Strategic Director, YARIS, EU Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (EU-GoGIN) Willy Mbusisi Heukoua Environmental Specialist and Deputy Director of Studies and Environmental Protection, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon Joseph Magloire Olinga Deputy Director, Department of Environment, Health and Living Environment, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon Carole Martinez International Policy Expert, Specialist in Marine and Island Biodiversity; Manager of the Blue & Green Fund, MedPAN Walaa Gad El Karim Mahmoud Othman Director of the central unit of the decent life initiative Omar Mohamed – Mayor of Moroni, Comores Mamadou Sidibé * Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, Senegal Jean-François Curtis * Deputy Mayor of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire Jean Baptiste Harelimana * President, African Academy of International Law practice André-Julien Koutou * Director of the House of Entrepreneurship and Youth Integration, Projects, Mayor of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire David Willima * Africa Regional Coordinator Deep Sea Conservation Coalition Coordinated by: Robin Degron Director, Plan Bleu Samuel Megwa Strategic Director, YARIS, EU Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (EU-GoGIN)	College civil society Ayivi Ernest Tindo Founder and President of the Pan-African Youth Organization for the Blue Economy, Benin Cécile Mawe Moumbre Founder, Youth in Action for Sustainable Development, Cameroon Laurent Ahongbonon President and scientific director, Nature Plurielle, Bénin Jade Velonjara Advocacy Officer, Natiora Defenders, Madagascar Caroline Mawandji Masala National President, Wimafrica DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo Kaoutar Merbouh Secretary General, WIMA Morocco Louise Soppi Ndock Expert in Social and Solidarity Economy Eliott Barichasse Ndock Secretary-General, NGO Wandzani Wazi Mbwedza “Friends of the Octopus,” Comoros Aristide TAKOUKAM KAMLA * President Founder, AMMCO Maximin Djondo * Executive Director, Benin Environment and Education Society (BEES NGO) Mohamed KOÏTA * Climate Lead, RIM Youth Climate Movement – Mauritania Florentine Guihard-Koidio * Chair of the Strategic Monitoring Committee, Network of Women Maritime and Port Professionals of West and Central Africa, Côte d’Ivoire Lionel Ondoa * CEO and Founder, YLO Médias Group, Mboko Magazine Sylvie Laure SIBE * Continental President of WIMAFRICA Mariette Degan * Programme Officer, National Association of Women Processors and Fishmongers of Benin Jean-Paul Wong Mpondo * National Coordinator, Cameroonian Network for the Development of Island Communities and Indigenous Peoples (RECADELI) Dorine Nininahazwe * – Greenpeace Africa Mouchtadi Badi Bamdou * Marine and coastal environment officer, MOHELI NATIONAL PARK, Comores Coordinated by: Rym Benzina President of La Saison Bleue & Asmaa Benslimane First Vice-President and Secretary General of WIMAFRICA

Parallel sessions work

Colleges governance & territories

Azza Jiddou Ministry of Fisheries, Maritime and Port Infrastructure, Mauritania
Edoh Komla President, Regional Maritime Council, Togo
Alexis Aquereburu Mayor, Communes of the Lakes (Aného), Togo
Marieme Bekaye Independent Expert in Environment and Sustainable Development and member of the Royal Moroccan Academy, Mauritania
Robin Degron Director, Plan Bleu
Alessandra Sensi Head, Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
Samuel Megwa Strategic Director, YARIS, EU Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (EU-GoGIN)
Willy Mbusisi Heukoua Environmental Specialist and Deputy Director of Studies and Environmental Protection, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon
Joseph Magloire Olinga Deputy Director, Department of Environment, Health and Living Environment, Urban Community of Douala, Cameroon
Carole Martinez International Policy Expert, Specialist in Marine and Island Biodiversity; Manager of the Blue & Green Fund, MedPAN
Walaa Gad El Karim Mahmoud Othman Director of the central unit of the decent life initiative
Omar Mohamed – Mayor of Moroni, Comores
Mamadou Sidibé * Advisor, Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, Senegal
Jean-François Curtis * Deputy Mayor of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire
Jean Baptiste Harelimana * President, African Academy of International Law practice
André-Julien Koutou * Director of the House of Entrepreneurship and Youth Integration, Projects, Mayor of Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire
David Willima * Africa Regional Coordinator Deep Sea Conservation Coalition

Coordinated by: Robin Degron Director, Plan Bleu Samuel Megwa Strategic Director, YARIS, EU Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (EU-GoGIN)

College civil society

Ayivi Ernest Tindo Founder and President of the Pan-African Youth Organization for the Blue Economy, Benin
Cécile Mawe Moumbre Founder, Youth in Action for Sustainable Development, Cameroon
Laurent Ahongbonon President and scientific director, Nature Plurielle, Bénin
Jade Velonjara Advocacy Officer, Natiora Defenders, Madagascar
Caroline Mawandji Masala National President, Wimafrica DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kaoutar Merbouh Secretary General, WIMA Morocco
Louise Soppi Ndock Expert in Social and Solidarity Economy
Eliott Barichasse Ndock Secretary-General, NGO *Wandzani Wazi Mbwedza* “Friends of the Octopus,” Comoros
Aristide TAKOUKAM KAMLA * President Founder, AMMCO
Maximin Djondo * Executive Director, Benin Environment and Education Society (BEES NGO)
Mohamed KOÏTA * Climate Lead, RIM Youth Climate Movement – Mauritania
Florentine Guihard-Koidio * Chair of the Strategic Monitoring Committee, Network of Women Maritime and Port Professionals of West and Central Africa, Côte d’Ivoire
Lionel Ondoa * CEO and Founder, YLO Médias Group, Mboko Magazine
Sylvie Laure SIBE * Continental President of WIMAFRICA
Mariette Degan * Programme Officer, National Association of Women Processors and Fishmongers of Benin
Jean-Paul Wong Mpondo * National Coordinator, Cameroonian Network for the Development of Island Communities and Indigenous Peoples (RECADELI)
Dorine Nininahazwe * – Greenpeace Africa
Mouchtadi Badi Bamdou * Marine and coastal environment officer, MOHELI NATIONAL PARK, Comores

Coordinated by: Rym Benzina President of La Saison Bleue & Asmaa Benslimane First Vice-President and Secretary General of WIMAFRICA

12h50 - 14h00
Lunch Break
14h00 - 14h15
Presentation of the science, research and education College’s work
14h15 - 14h30
Presentation of the Blue Economy & Finance College’s work
14h30 - 14h45
Presentation of the Governance & Territories College’s work
14h45 - 15h00
Presentation of the Civil Society College’s work
15h00 - 16h00
African Atlantic Coast: What Public–Private Cooperation for Sustainable Fisheries?
16h00 - 16h20
Break
16h20 - 17h00
Women Actions for the Ocean
17h00 - 17h20
Conclusion of the Blue Africa Summit and recommendations of the Blue Africa Summit
17h20 - 18h00
Group picture