Africa’s Valuable Ocean Resources have Drawn the Interest of Foreign Nations

How they exploit these resources can be problematic because these oceans offer a wide range of important resources – from fish to minerals and hydrocarbons – that are also crucial to the continent’s economy and food security. But, in some countries, foreign interests dominate. For instance, the continent’s oil exploration, shipping, ports infrastructure, and industrial fishing sectors are sometimes dominated by foreign companies. And so, despite these waters being vital to African countries and their citizens, foreign actors will act in a way that’s in their best interests – at times to the detriment of African countries and citizens. the African Union and Regional Economic Communities must take collective action to push for an end to exploitative relationships in the continent’s ocean resources. This includes urging the UN to recognise illegal fishing and associated crimes as grave security threats. International partners must go beyond rhetoric and stop financing the exploitation of the continent’s resources through subsidies that allows for legal exploitation of depleted species and illegal fishing.

THE CONVERSATION