Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA), in partnership with eThekwini Municipality as host city, will hold its 2026 summit in Durban from March 23 to 25 at the International Convention Centre.

The summit is aimed at positioning Africa at the forefront of the global shift from a sustainable to a regenerative blue economy, and brings together policymakers, investors, scientists, entrepreneurs, development finance institutions, and community leaders to accelerate implementation, unlock capital and investment, and co-ordinate tangible action across the continent’s ocean economy.

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“As climate pressures intensify and ocean degradation accelerates globally, our continent stands at a defining moment,” said Alexis Grosskopf,  spokesperson for Ocean Innovation Africa. “With more than 38 coastal and island states and a rapidly expanding ocean economy, Africa has a unique opportunity to lead a regenerative model, one that restores ecosystems, strengthens long-term stability and drives equitable economic growth.

“We’ve structured the summit to move past conversation and into real, co-ordinated action with the right people and organisations,” explained Grosskopf.

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Following the public summit, a smaller, invitation-only Ocean Impact Retreat (March 25-27) will convene select stakeholders to deepen alignment across finance, policy, science, innovation and delivery infrastructure. While not open to the broader public, this working session is designed to ensure that momentum generated at the summit translates into practical next steps.

“We expect that investors, policy-makers, and innovators will join forces and co-ordinate strategies to tackle priority bottlenecks, drive practical collaborations,” said Grosskopf.

For more information or to register go to: www.ocean-innovation.africa

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