Mombasa became the centre of the ocean world last week, as the Kenyan city hosted the eleventh Our Ocean Conference. This marked the first time the meeting, which attracted over 5,000 delegates, was held on African soil.
The conference resulted in a total of 320 investment pledges adding up $6.2bn, many of which focused on African priorities such as cracking down on illegal fishing and strengthening coastal ecosystems that absorb carbon.
The event also put the spotlight on efforts to grow a sustainable 'blue economy' in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean.
Whether the policy commitments made in Mombasa and other conferences have a meaningful effect in practice remains to be seen, however.
Originally published by African Business.