Durban, South Africa (17 March 2026): The Director-General of European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), Charlina Vitcheva, will deliver the keynote address and participate in a high-level panel at the Ocean Innovation Africa Summit in Durban.
Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA), in collaboration with eThekwini (city of Durban), hosts the OIA Summit 2026 at Durban’s International Convention Centre from 23 to 25 March. The significance of this annual Summit is reflected in last year’s attendance, of 593 delegates, 59 countries including 28 African Nations.
The Summit welcomes Ms Vitcheva, both as a keynote speaker where she will speak to the theme of the Summit, and as a panellist on Blue Finance for Resilience : shifting from aid dependency to sustainable local capital. Ms Vitcheva is responsible for EU policy on maritime affairs and fisheries, working to promote a healthy ocean, sustainable fisheries, a thriving sustainable blue economy, and vibrant coastal communities across Europe and with international partners.
Her department is also responsible for developing, implementing and evaluating the common fisheries policy which helps to support Europe’s food security, and leads the co-ordination of the European Ocean Pact which brings together the EU’s ocean-related policies, including maritime security, international ocean governance and ocean observation.
The OIA Summit is no ordinary conference – “it’s an innovative, and important shift from the traditional conference format, designed to move past conversation into real, co-ordinated action with the right people and organisations,” says Alexis Grosskopf, co-founder of OIA. “Ms Vitcheva’s participation will help bridge policy, investment priorities and practical pathways to scale regenerative ocean solutions across Africa. She brings a depth of experience and expertise across all spheres of the OIA focus, from finance and innovation, to science and implementation.”
Charlina Vitcheva said “The European Ocean Pact is our blueprint for the protection and sustainable use of the ocean. International cooperation is one of its fundamentals. Through strong international partnerships, including under Global Gateway Strategy and initiatives like BlueInvest Africa, we want to work with partners across Africa and beyond to promote sustainable ocean governance, support local value creation and unlock investment in ocean solutions. Because protecting the ocean and building prosperity for coastal communities must go hand in hand.”
Themed Accelerating and Scaling Out Regenerative Blue Economy Action the Summit focuses on an audience of policymakers, practitioners, innovators, community leaders, investors, researchers and development partners. It will spotlight key pathways across Science-to-Business, Technology, Investment, and Policy for the uptake of African-developed solutions. It will focus on regenerative blue business models and nature-positive growth; blue finance pathways, from aid to local and blended capital, marine protection, economic expansion and community stability, pan-African innovation ecosystems.
Ms Vitcheva’s presence at the Summit is significant for OIA 2026 bringing deep policy experience to stimulate fresh thinking, debate, and innovative solutions to the challenges faced globally around the regeneration of ocean health and management of the blue economy.
“As the host city, we are honoured to welcome Charlina Vitcheva to the Summit,” says His Worship the Mayor, Cllr Cyril Xaba. “For Durban, a coastal city deeply connected to the ocean economy, having a global leader responsible for maritime affairs and fisheries in Europe engage directly with African innovators, policymakers and investors helps open important opportunities for regeneration, and growth.”
For more information or to register, go to: www.ocean-innovation.africa