The economic development of the oceans is rapidly expanding across the planet with many national, regional and international initiatives being undertaken within the last decade. The upcoming United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is likely to bring further focus to the environmental, economic and social importance of the oceans and the numerous benefits humans derive from them. It is therefore an opportune time to explore how ocean economic development has been (or is being) envisioned and implemented across African coastal countries of the Western Indian Ocean (including Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Comoros). 

We are consequently conducting a questionnaire survey in this regard and are interested in receiving survey returns from ocean practitioners involved in ocean economy research, policy development and implementation, management and governance within marine and maritime fields within these countries of the Western Indian Ocean Region. This survey forms an important component of a Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Masters study that explores the ‘Oceans Economies’ of Western Indian Ocean Coastal Countries, and ocean governance aspects of expanding ocean economies in the region. The study is being carried out from CPUT’s Centre for Sustainable Oceans and is being supervised by the CPUT Research Chair: Oceans Economy, Prof Ken Findlay. It is hoped that the information collected in this study allow comparisons of ocean and blue economy expansion initiatives and processes (and sustainability and inclusivity aspects thereof), and will be used to inform broad policy decisions in countries of the Western Indian Ocean and the wider Indian Ocean Rim community.

Your participation in this initiative will be greatly valued. We would therefore like to request your completion of the survey at https://forms.gle/NNkV8p365rf1kdLG8 prior to the end of February 2021. For any further information on this project, please contact Ms. Nicole du Plessis on email - oceans.economy@gmail.com.