President William Ruto has invited global leaders to Kenya for the 11th Our Ocean Conference scheduled for March 2026.
He said the summit will focus on Africa’s opportunities in the blue economy and sustainable use of marine resources.
Speaking during the ongoing Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), Ruto said Africa can play a central role in addressing food security and sustainable agriculture through the ocean economy.
“Let me take this occasion to welcome all of you to Kenya next year, in March, for the Ocean Conference, where we will be discussing African opportunities in the blue economy space,” Ruto said.
“We believe that Africa can contribute significantly to food security, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable marine blue economy.”
He emphasised the need to reduce post-harvest losses and promote value addition.
"As things stand today, most of what comes out of our oceans and rivers either does not find its way into the market because of post-harvest losses,” he said.
“We will be looking at interventions in ensuring that there are cold chain facilities, fish landing sites, and sufficient value addition capabilities, using expertise, using technology, using knowledge that has been gathered globally.”
The President noted that the Ocean Conference would also provide a platform for innovation and research.
“This will be an opportunity for us to exchange experiences, for us to look into new knowledge, areas of research, making sure that we harness the body of knowledge that has been gathered for the progress of the world,” Ruto said.
He also urged Japan to support youth participation in the blue economy, saying the sector is currently dominated by older populations.
“We will be asking Japan to see whether they can support the youth segment, because we intend to have a whole youth involvement segment,” he said.
“The statistics show that in our continent, the majority of the farmers, the majority of the people in the agricultural sector are older people."
He added, "Therefore, we want to make sure that we bring young people, their energy, their expertise, their knowledge, their innovation into the agricultural space.”
Ruto said Kenya looks forward to hosting the world for the summit.
“It will be an exciting moment for us as a continent to host this Ocean Conference in Kenya, and we invite Japan to partner with us as we work with the rest of the global community," he added.
Launched in 2014 by the US Department of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry, the Our Ocean Conference is a major international platform that unites governments, businesses, NGOs, and academic institutions to drive ocean-related action and ambition.
The conference focuses on six critical areas: marine protected areas, sustainable blue economy, climate change, maritime security, sustainable fisheries, and marine pollution.
Since its inception, it has generated over 2,600 commitments valued at more than $160 billion, making it one of the most impactful global gatherings for ocean sustainability.
Commenting on Kenya hosting the event, Head of the Ocean Panel Secretariat and Global Director of World Resources Institute’s Ocean Program, Tom Pickerell, said:
“Kenya has long been an advocate and leader on ocean issues — as an active member of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), the host of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and a pioneer in ambitious policies to tackle plastic pollution and foster a sustainable ocean economy."
