Mombasa: The curtains have fallen on the landmark 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC11), with a strong call for nations to translate commitments into tangible actions to achieve the 30‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬30 target – a global conservation goal aimed at protecting and conserving at least 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030.
According to Kenya News Agency, the high-level conference brought together more than 6,000 delegates from over 100 countries. It concluded on a high note with 300 ocean conservation commitments valued at USD 6.4 billion (Sh832 billion). Kenya, the first African country to host the conference, made 50 commitments worth USD 1.1 billion (Sh143 billion).
Kenya’s president, Dr William Ruto, and President of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Mwinyi, graced the colourful closing ceremony held at the newly established Tembo International Convention Centre at the PrideInn Flamingo Hotel in Mombasa. President Ruto said that, if fully implemented, the commitments would expand marine protected areas, restore fisheries, combat climate change, reduce pollution, build sustainable blue economies, and strengthen maritime security.
The Head of State affirmed that countries had committed themselves to a different model of growth, one that combines economic opportunity with conservation through offshore renewable energy, the transition to circular and biodegradable materials, sustainable fisheries, and inclusive national Sustainable Ocean Plans. Nations were challenged to explore new and bolder ways of mobilising finance, deploying technology and innovation, building capacity, and ensuring that existing ocean frameworks work together rather than in isolation.
‘The world has one honest option: to turn political promises into real action; to green our ports, drive blue-green industrialisation, create high-value and dignified jobs, and secure a living, resilient ocean,’ stated the Head of State. ‘We did not come to Mombasa to add our names to a long list of promises. We came to turn the tide. Let the measure of this conference not be what we pledged on the shore, but what we deliver in the water,’ he said.
The Government of Kenya has invested more than Sh20.3 billion in the Blue Economy and Fisheries sectors over the last three years. Construction of 15 fish landing sites is ongoing across the country, while the Regional Flagship Marine Transport and Ports Logistics Centre in Kwale is nearing completion. On his part, President Mwinyi said the conference reflected Africa’s growing leadership in ocean governance and sustainable blue economy development.
Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Hassan Joho said the four-day conference addressed all eight thematic areas. On the Ocean-Climate Nexus, he noted that ocean action was aligned with global climate goals, affirming that the two cannot be separated. On sustainable fisheries, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing was addressed through both community accountability and scientific rigour. Discussions on the sustainable blue economy focused on unlocking investment pathways and financing frameworks to drive meaningful growth for coastal nations.
The conference charted credible pathways towards achieving the 30‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬30 target, reinforced the need for continuous capacity building to keep the oceans safe and open for trade, and tackled plastic pollution across its entire lifecycle – from production to disposal in the ocean. ‘As a nation, we recognise the ocean as the engine of our development, the foundation upon which food security, trade, energy, tourism, and community resilience are all built,’ he said.
He added, ‘To realise its full potential, destructive practices must be reversed, and finance flows redirected toward sustainable ocean investment. Our ports, shipping lines, and coastal infrastructure are not peripheral concerns; they are central to how Africa connects with the world and how our people access prosperity.’
United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, said that despite the damage humankind has inflicted on the ocean through pollution, there was reason to remain optimistic that the situation could be reversed. ‘The call to action is for humankind to put an end to the anthropogenic maladies we have inflicted on the ocean’s health, which means embracing the green transition to renewable energy and circular economies,’ he said.
European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, emphasised that threats facing the ocean are global in nature and that efforts to save it must likewise be global. The 12th Our Ocean Conference will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, before moving to Montego Bay, Jamaica, in 2028.
