OceanHub Africa launches Impact Report at Ocean Innovation Africa 2026 in Durban

Durban, South Africa — 24 March 2026 — OceanHub Africa (OHA) will launch its 5-year Impact Report at Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA) 2026 in Durban on 23 March 2026.

This report reflects OceanHub Africa’s first five years of building a more regenerative and inclusive ocean economy in Africa, shaped by local entrepreneurs, stronger ecosystems, and coastal communities that can thrive alongside healthy marine environments. It shares what has been achieved, what has been built, and what is needed next to deepen and scale ocean impact across the continent.

From the beginning, OceanHub Africa’s belief has been simple: the Blue Economy must create value that stays in Africa. It must strengthen livelihoods, restore ecosystems, and unlock solutions rooted in local realities. While policy and research remain essential, OceanHub Africa has focused on entrepreneurship as a way to translate ideas into practical change with speed, adaptability, and proximity to real-world needs.

Over the past six years, OceanHub Africa’s work has focused on four strategic levers: enabling frameworks, capability development, enterprise-driven regeneration, and access to finance. Through this approach, OHA has supported 149 ocean-impact businesses, helping founders turn early ideas into stronger ventures while also building the partnerships and support structures that make the wider ecosystem more resilient.

“Rather than forcing a model the market was not ready for, we focused on building what was missing… OceanHub Africa evolved from a startup support initiative into a broader platform to support, connect and invest in Africa’s ocean-impact ecosystem.” - Alexis Grosskopf, Founder and CEO, OceanHub Africa

“Over the past five years, the impact has been measurable: ventures in our ecosystem have mobilised $20M+ in capital, women’s participation has increased from 24% to 61%, and our portfolio has created and sustained 1,700+ full-time blue jobs—proof that disciplined, tailored support can build real readiness and long-term potential.” - Herland Cerveaux, Managing Director, OceanHub Africa

With the launch of the Impact Report at OIA Durban, OceanHub Africa is bringing this momentum to the stage, sharing how an Africa-led ocean-impact ecosystem is growing, and what it will take to scale what has been proven.

Media are encouraged to request access to the report and attend the launch at Ocean Innovation Africa to hear directly from the team about the next chapter of building a future where people and the ocean thrive.

Launch details

What: Launch of OceanHub Africa’s Impact Report

Where: Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA) Summi 2026, Durban, South Africa - ICC

When: 23 March 2026, 2PM

Director-General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries for the EU to give keynote address at Ocean Innovation Africa Summit in Durban 23-25 March 2026

 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

Africa Positions Regeneration at the Heart of the Global Blue Economy Agenda

Durban, South Africa: Ocean Innovation Africa (OIA), in partnership with eThekwini Municipality as host city, will hold its 2026 summit in Durban, from 23 to 25 March at the International Convention Centre.

The Summit is aimed at positioning Africa at the forefront of the global shift from a sustainable to a regenerative blue economy, and brings together policymakers, investors, scientists, entrepreneurs, development finance institutions and community leaders to accelerate implementation, unlock capital and investment, and coordinate tangible action across the continent’s ocean economy.

Photo supplied by Durban Tourism

As host city and main partner, the eThekwini Municipality demonstrates its active leadership in advancing the blue economy by looking towards how to strengthen coastal management, support maritime and port-linked innovation, and align local development strategies with climate resilience and ocean sustainability objectives. By hosting OIA 2026, eThekwini reinforces Durban’s position as an important continental hub for ocean innovation, investment, and policy leadership.

“As climate pressures intensify and ocean degradation accelerates globally, our continent stands at a defining moment,” says Alexis Grosskopf Founder of OceanHub Africa and spokesperson for Ocean Innovation Africa .“With more than 38 coastal and island states and a rapidly expanding ocean economy, Africa has a unique opportunity to lead a regenerative model, one that restores ecosystems, strengthens long-term stability and drives equitable economic growth.”

Photo supplied by Durban Tourism

Unlike traditional conferences, Ocean Innovation Africa operates as an ongoing action platform. 

“We’ve structured the Summit to move past conversation and into real, coordinated action with the right people and organisations,” explains Grosskopf.

The 2026 Summit, 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 and solution-oriented workshops and curated Business-to-Business matchmaking and investor meetings and dialogues.

Following the public summit, a smaller, invitation-only Ocean Impact Retreat (25–27 March) will convene select stakeholders to deepen alignment across finance, policy, science, innovation and delivery infrastructure. While not open to the broader public, this working session is designed to ensure that momentum generated at the summit translates into practical next steps.

The global ocean economy is valued in the trillions of dollars annually, yet overfishing, habitat loss, pollution and climate change are undermining both ecological stability and economic security. Incremental sustainability is no longer sufficient.

“Africa is setting a new global benchmark for the ocean space and OIA 2026 is designed to coordinate such action - we bring finance, policy, science and entrepreneurs in the same room to ensure that commitments move into implementation. Africa has the opportunity to build a regenerative blue economy from the outset - one that restores ecosystems, strengthens communities and delivers economic growth within planetary boundaries.”, says Grosskopf.

By convening African and international stakeholders under a regenerative framework, OIA aims to move beyond commitments towards coordinated implementation and measurable outcomes.

“We expect that investors, policy-makers, and innovators will join forces and co-ordinate strategies to tackle priority bottlenecks, drive practical collaborations, scale solutions, and reinforce Africa-led regenerative framing within global ocean dialogues.”

With increasing global attention on ocean-climate solutions and post-2030 development pathways, OIA 2026 positions Africa as both contributor and leader in shaping the future of the blue economy.

For more information or to register go to:   www.ocean-innovation.africa