Africa Blue Food Festival 2025: Youth-Led Ocean Innovation Spark Blue Revolution in Dar es Salaam
Across Africa, the waters that surround our shores and flow through our lands hold a powerful but underused solution to one of the continent’s greatest challenges, food insecurity. With 38 coastal and island nations and over 13 million square kilometers of marine waters, Africa has the natural wealth to feed itself from the sea. Yet today, more than 280 million people remain food insecure, and the continent still imports over 40% of its fish and aquatic products.
The solution seems closer than we think. Blue foods- from fish, shellfish, and seaweed to other aquatic species- are rich in nutrients, climate-smart, and require fewer resources to produce than land-based livestock. Experts say that if managed sustainably, blue foods could provide over a quarter of Africa’s protein needs, create millions of jobs, and help achieve key global goals, including ending hunger and tackling climate change.
It’s this potential that the Africa Blue Food Festival, a United Nations Ocean Decade–endorsed initiative, set out to explore and celebrate. Held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 22nd to 26th September 2025, the inaugural festival brought together youth leaders, scientists, innovators, policymakers, and communities from across East Africa for an unforgettable week of learning, action, and inspiration under the theme “Celebrating Africa’s Blue Food Sovereignty.” Brilliantly organized by the Tanzania Ocean Climate Innovation Hub, led by Shamim Wasii Nyanda, with the coordinating support from Ocean Climate Innovation Hub-Kenya, led by Dr. Mariam Swaleh.
A Week of Innovation, Action, and Hope
The festival began on the sunlit shores of Mbudya Island, where young innovators shared ideas on building an inclusive and sustainable blue economy. Conversations focused on empowering inland communities to participate in ocean conservation, strengthening school climate clubs, and raising awareness of the vast opportunities within Africa’s blue economy.
The momentum continued on Day 2 in Bagamoyo, where participants rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on seaweed planting session with local farmers. They learned sustainable harvesting techniques and saw firsthand how simple nature-based solutions can support ocean health. Later, a visit to a women-led mangrove beekeeping project revealed how biodiversity protection and alternative livelihoods go hand in hand, a living example of how conservation can fuel community resilience.
Innovation was at the heart of the day’s activities. Young Africans pitched bold, practical ideas, from floating solar power systems and maritime safety devices, to integrated multitrophic aquaculture, to sustainable protein powders made from locally sourced seaweed. Each idea reflected the creativity and determination of a generation determined to solve real-world challenges with homegrown solutions.
SDG Flag Day: A Symbol of Shared Commitment
The third day of the festival was marked by the lively SDG Flag Day Celebration at the Netherlands Ambassador’s Residence, commemorating 10 years since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Youth representatives from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda joined diplomats and development partners in raising the SDG flag, a powerful symbol of global unity and shared responsibility.
“You are not just beneficiaries of the SDGs; you are the drivers of change,” said H.E. Marjo Crompvoets, Netherlands Ambassador. “Your energy, innovation, and passion are crucial in tackling the challenges we face.”
Her call to action was echoed by Susan Ngongi Namondo, UN Country Representative, who urged youth to bring more peers into the blue economy movement.
The day also featured a captivating intergenerational debate on whether urgent human needs (SDGs 1–8) or long-term planetary stability (SDGs 9–17) should take priority. The spirited discussion underscored the essential role of young people in shaping Africa’s sustainability agenda. Later, participants visited East Africa Television (EATV) to share their insights and visions for a sustainable future on air.
SDGs Day & Beyond: Spotlight on Blue Food Sovereignty
The festival’s high-level event on September 25th, themed “SDGs Day & Beyond,” brought together more than 100 participants, including youth leaders, researchers, innovators, and key partners such as the United Nations, the EU Delegation, the British High Commission, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The discussions highlighted the urgent need to scale up investment in SDG 14: Life Below Water, one of the least funded yet most crucial goals for climate resilience and ocean health. Participants explored how blue food systems can transform Africa’s approach to food security and development, not as a distant dream, but as a solution already taking shape in coastal and island communities.
The festival also unveiled a range of community-led initiatives, including a Mangrove Beekeeping Pilot Project, youth showcases, and exhibitions celebrating African-led ocean solutions. These projects showed that sustainable development is not only possible, it’s already happening, driven by grassroots innovation and local knowledge.
A United Nations Ocean Decade Vision
The closure of this festival marked the beginning of a movement. Recognized as part of the United Nations Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), the Africa Blue Food Festival represents a continental shift toward reimagining our relationship with the ocean.
It’s a vision of Africa where youth are not just participants but architects of a new ocean future, one where marine ecosystems thrive, food insecurity is a thing of the past, and the blue economy powers inclusive growth and climate resilience.
A Future Nourished by the Sea
“Africa stands at a turning point. With abundant aquatic resources and a generation of innovators ready to lead, the continent has everything it needs to transform its waters into engines of food security and sustainable development.
The Africa Blue Food Festival is a bold step in that direction, a celebration of what’s possible when science, innovation, culture, and community come together. As the tide of youth leadership continues to rise, so too does the promise of a future where Africa’s blue foods nourish both people and the planet”, Sharrif Injamu.
Africa Blue Food Festival 2025: Youth-Led Ocean Innovation Spark Blue Revolution in Dar es Salaam
