Seafood 4 Africa 2026: Dakhla at the heart of Africa’s blue economy
Dakhla will once again confirm its role as a strategic crossroads for the African blue economy, hosting Seafood 4 Africa, an event promoted by FENIP in partnership with GIAC PM, a key strategic partner supporting skills development and value chain integration in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Africa holds a vast and still under-optimised fisheries and aquaculture potential, which today lies at the core of national and regional strategies for the development of a sustainable blue economy. Seafood 4 Africa positions itself precisely within this vision, acting as a platform for convergence between public and private stakeholders across the African fisheries value chain, where capacity building, technical know-how, and investment readiness are decisive factors for long-term competitiveness.
Dakhla, Morocco, provides a natural and strategic setting for this ambition. With its exceptional maritime façade, abundant halieutic resources, a clear and structured Royal vision, and its role as a natural hub between Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Dakhla embodies an Africa that invests, transforms, and looks forward.
From local resources to competitive value chains
At the core of Seafood 4 Africa lies a shared strategic vision: locally transforming marine resources to generate value, innovation, and African competitiveness.
The objective is clear and deeply political in the positive sense of the term: to move beyond a crude export-based economy and build integrated value chains capable of creating local wealth while accessing African and international markets.
This vision is articulated around several key axes that strongly resonate with the discussions taking place in Dakhla:
- fishing and technologies;
- processing and value addition, including freezing, canning, premium seafood products, and marine-based ingredients;
- industrial and technological innovation, with a focus on energy efficiency, cold chain optimisation, processing technologies, and digitalisation;
- certification, SPS standards, CSR, and traceability, no longer seen as constraints, but as strategic assets that enhance market access and competitiveness;
- South–South cooperation, strengthening Morocco–Africa synergies, revitalising AFIEX dynamics, and supporting inter-professional structuring across the continent.
From vision to bankable aquaculture projects
Another key pillar emerging from Seafood 4 Africa is the growing focus on aquaculture as a strategic engine of the blue economy, looking beyond vision statements and moving decisively towards bankable, competitive, and investment-ready projects.
The objective is to support the development of competitive African aquaculture systems capable of responding to rising food demand while integrating regional and continental value chains. This implies working on viable economic models, grounded in local realities but designed to attract structured financing and long-term investment.
Key elements of this approach include the identification of profitability conditions linked to land access, inputs, hatcheries, and nurseries, and the selection of high-potential species adapted to African environments. At the same time, strong emphasis is placed on structuring projects that meet international financing requirements, engaging institutions such as AFREXIMBANK, BADEA, FSA, and the World Bank.
Central to this process is the transfer of know-how and standardisation, through Morocco–Africa cooperation, targeted training programmes, and the alignment of technical, economic, and regulatory frameworks. In this sense, aquaculture becomes not only a production activity but a long-term growth engine, supporting food sovereignty while unlocking sustainable investment across the continent.
Follow the event with us
Blue Life Hub will closely follow Seafood 4 Africa 2026, with the ambition to host live moments, interviews, and on-site insights directly from Dakhla. Stay tuned to our channels to join the discussion and explore how Africa’s blue economy is being shaped on the ground.
More information about the event:
Seafood 4 Africa 2026: Dakhla at the heart of Africa’s blue economy
