There’s great potential in maritime heritage

Leaders recently adopted the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development. The charter has been developed at a time when African states are rethinking the potential of the blue economy in their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

A number of African states are engaged in offshore exploration of hydrocarbons, including oil and natural gas. However, maritime environmental degradation, illegal and unregulated fishing, and trans-national criminal networks in the oceans, seas, and waterways have become great concerns to Africa’s coastal and island states.

Therefore, the adoption of the charter is timely as it will underline states’ interests in the oceans, seas, and waterways.

The main objective of the Lome summit, during which the charter was adopted, was to make maritime space a key driver of the continent’s economic and social development. The charter aims at solidifying Africa’s commitment to efficient and effective management of its oceans, seas, and waterways in order to benefit from the vast natural resources in the water bodies.

Sustainable exploitation of marine resources and minerals is likely to boost Africa’s economic growth. The charter also intends to address maritime security challenges including piracy, human trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism, illegal and unregulated fishing, and robberies targeting ships and fishing vessels. Security along maritime routes is vital to the promotion of international trade. The charter also aims to protect the maritime environment.

As a coastal state of the Indian Ocean, Kenya is likely to benefit from the effective implementation of the charter. The port of Mombasa plays a crucial role in East Africa’s maritime trade as many regional states use it to transport their exports and imports.

The renovation and expansion of the port is likely to improve maritime trade in the region. The improvement of safety at the port and security along the maritime routes will be critical for Kenya’s blue economy.

Therefore, collective responsibility for securing Africa’s oceans, seas, and waterways under the AU Charter will be imperative for Kenya’s strategic interest in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

The Indian Ocean also presents immense socio-economic and political opportunities to Africa’s marine states. It has abundant resources, including fish, other aquatic animals, hydrocarbon resources, and minerals.

The coming into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1994 was a game changer to coastal states as their sovereign territorial waters were extended from three nautical miles to at most 12 nautical miles from their baselines.

In addition, a coastal state’s exclusive economic zone now extends from the outer limits of territorial water to a maximum of 200 nautical miles from the country’s baseline. With the recent discovery of natural gas in Tanzania’s coastal regions of Pwani, Lindi, and Mtwara and in Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin, the significance of offshore exploration of hydrocarbon resources is likely to intensify among other Indian Ocean coastal states.

Although Kenya’s coastline, territorial waters, and exclusive economic zone have great potential, they have yet to be fully exploited. Fish from fresh water sources is still the main contributor to the fishery sector. Marine fisheries have inadequate facilities and technology, especially for fishing in deep waters.

The development of the maritime sector should be a top priority of the government. Therefore, Kenya should ratify the AU Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development and ensure that it is implemented effectively.

The writer is a policy analyst at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis.