Advancing the Abidjan Convention between 2025-2026
- FIDEP Foundation ER Paper
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
A POLITICAL WINDOW MEMO
Advancing the Abidjan Convention between 2025-2026: Seizing the Policy Moments to Reclaiming Ocean Governance
West and Central Africa’s coastlines are under mounting pressure from climate change, unsustainable exploitation, and weak governance. Coastal erosion already affects over half the region’s shoreline, causing annual economic losses exceeding 2% of GDP in countries like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, while more than 110 million Africans living in low-elevation coastal zones face rising risks from flooding, storm surges, and salinization by 2050.
The Abidjan Convention, Africa’s principal regional treaty for marine and coastal protection, offers a legally binding platform to address these challenges. Yet, more than four decades after its adoption, its implementation remains fragmented, underfunded, and disconnected from national policy frameworks. The coming two years present an unprecedented window to change that trajectory.
From the UN Ocean Conference (June 2025) and UNFCCC COP30 (November 2025) to the African Union’s Blue Economy Strategy Midterm Review (2026), the policy calendar is rich with high-level forums where African coastal states can secure commitments, mobilize climate and biodiversity finance, and institutionalize community-led governance approaches. By aligning national action with the Convention’s protocols, countries can unlock financing from mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility, and Adaptation Fund, while meeting global obligations under the Paris Agreement, Global Biodiversity Framework, and SDG 14.
The memo calls for concrete measures that donors and partners can support immediately:
1. National Coastal Governance Action Plans anchored in the Abidjan Convention.
2. Inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms to break policy silos.
3. A Regional Blue Justice Financing Facility to scale restoration, monitoring, and climate-resilient livelihoods.
4. Institutionalized community co-governance protocols to ensure inclusion and equity.
5. Open data and performance dashboards for transparency and accountability.
With targeted investments, political will, and collaborative implementation, the Abidjan Convention can evolve from a dormant agreement into a dynamic engine for coastal resilience, equitable blue economy growth, and climate adaptation.
Donors, development agencies, and philanthropic partners have a unique opportunity to stand with West and Central African states at this inflection point, turning fragile coastlines into beacons of renewal, governance innovation, and shared prosperity.
Contact: FIDEP Foundation
Email: hello.fidep@gmail.com
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