The Swahili Coast of Kenya made history in June 2026 when Mombasa and Kilifi Counties hosted the 11th Our Ocean Conference — the first time the annual global summit on ocean stewardship had ever been held on African soil. Running from June 16 to 18, the three-day event gathered heads of state, marine scientists, blue economy investors, fishing communities, and civil society organisations under the theme: Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.
Record Commitments and Mobilised Finance
OOC11 delivered outcomes that exceeded expectations. A total of 320 voluntary commitments were registered by 104 countries and organisations, with combined mobilised finance reaching $6.4 billion. The pledges spanned expansion of marine protected areas, investment in sustainable fisheries management, measures to reduce plastic pollution, blue economy infrastructure development, and climate adaptation programmes.
Fisheries Transparency Charter
Among the most celebrated outcomes was the signing of a Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency by 16 national governments, eight of them African. The declaration commits signatory states to opening access to data on fishing vessel movements, catch records, and licensing arrangements.
From Dialogue to Verified Action
The challenge that now confronts Kenya and its partners is ensuring that voluntary pledges translate into verified, time-bound action on the ground. Conservation analysts say the credibility of the Our Ocean process will be measured not by the scale of commitments signed in Mombasa, but by whether the $6.4 billion mobilised reaches the communities and ecosystems it was promised to protect.
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