2050 AIM STRATEGY AND BLUE ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA, 2012-2025
Keywords:
2050 AIM Strategy, Blue economy, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs),, Illegal Fishing, Maritime SecurityAbstract
Africa's maritime domain is one of the continent's most strategic economic and geopolitical assets. With over 38 coastal and island states, vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and critical sea routes connecting Africa to global trade networks, the maritime sector offers significant opportunities for economic transformation, regional integration, and sustainable development. Yet, maritime insecurity, piracy, illegal fishing, weak institutional coordination, environmental degradation, and inadequate infrastructure continue to undermine these prospects. Although the African Union's 2050 Africa's Integrated Maritime (AIM) Strategy provides a comprehensive framework for maritime governance and blue economy development, limited scholarly attention has been devoted to examining its political economy and implementation constraints across Africa, creating an important knowledge gap that this study addresses. Guided by Maritime Security Theory, this study examines the developmental implications of the 2050 AIM Strategy using a qualitative documentary research design based on African Union policy documents, International Maritime Organization publications, and recent scholarly literature. The findings indicate that while the strategy offers a coherent framework for integrating maritime security, environmental sustainability, and economic development, implementation has been constrained by weak state capacity, inadequate financing, fragmented regional cooperation, and persistent insecurity, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa. The study concludes that effective implementation requires stronger continental cooperation, greater investment in maritime infrastructure and blue economy sectors, enhanced naval capabilities, and harmonised legal and institutional frameworks.
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