Efficient, impactful actions will require all of us to come together to shape healthier interactions between people and the Earth’s largest ecosystem, says Alexis Grosskopf, who runs Ocean Hub Africa (OHA), Africa’s first and largest blue-entrepreneurship support organisation.
He says oceans are the heart and lungs of our planet. They drive our climate, provide food and water to all living things, and connect our continents.
Next week, Ocean Innovation Africa 2021 will take place from the November 5-9, with in-person sessions at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town followed by virtual discussions with speakers from across Africa and the world.
It will highlight Africa’s role as a key player in the transition to blue growth and will showcase opportunities for African entrepreneurs to make sustainable oceans their business.
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Grosskopf says the global oceans economy has an estimated annual GDP of $2.5 trillion and in South Africa, coastal goods and services are estimated to contribute over a third of the national GDP.
This contribution is expected to grow enormously in the coming decade but current methods of exploitation threaten the health of this common asset and, in turn, the livelihoods of all those that depend on it.
Grosskopf says Africa offers a particularly high potential in terms of Blue Economy developments, paving the way for ocean community-based resource management and offering an ideal ground to test and scale impact innovations.
The African ocean economy is at the top of the continent's political agenda and is seen to be a major contributor to socio-economic transformation.
Current stakeholders must ensure that this growth occurs in an environmentally and socially-conscious manner, core to which is support for the development and adoption of sustainable solutions, says Grosskopf.
His desire to build the startup incubator, OHA, specialising in technologies that have a positive impact on the ocean, was born out of his entrepreneurial and technological skills, his determination to tackle issues related to environmental protection and his identification of a real need to develop solutions that support blue growth.
OHA is founded on the belief that innovations led by science, technology and entrepreneurship can provide the leverage needed to drive this development at the pace and scale necessary to address the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based at the crossroads of three oceans in Cape Town, the organisation is empowered by the strong local marine science and entrepreneurship hubs and blessed with a unique diversity of seascapes within a short distance of the city.
Cape Town boasts one of Africa’s most vibrant oceans economies, with well-developed infrastructure for shipping, fisheries, tourism, and technology providing ideal ground to test the waters for ocean-impact initiatives. OHA provides the support network needed to get such initiatives off the ground, fostering a cohort of startups each year to accelerate the adoption of sustainable ocean solutions in Africa.
Together with Catalyze Events, an expert in international business promotion for African companies, OHA co-founded Ocean Innovation Africa in 2019 as a convening platform for mentors and investors of OHA startups.
Uniting industry experts and ocean advocates, the discussions at Ocean Innovation Africa take a deeper look at the problems faced by ocean industries than a purely economic take, with entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers, and thought leaders elaborating on the challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainability in each industry.
Now in its 3rd edition, the event is living up to the ambition of becoming Africa’s blue economy summit.
“Efficient, impactful actions will require all of us to come together to shape healthier interactions between people and the Earth’s largest ecosystem,” says Grosskopf.
* To find out more about Ocean Innovation Africa 2021 visit www.ocean-innovation.africa – to learn more about how you can get involved in this fantastic meeting of minds.