The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has established the Africa Ocean Institute (AOI), a specialised institution dedicated to advancing ocean and coastal research and promoting sustainable development within Africa’s marine sector.

The AOI is built on existing specialised centres at UCC and aims to address growing environmental, socio-economic, and governance challenges affecting the continent’s coastal and marine spaces.

It will draw on multidisciplinary expertise to drive research, policy interventions and capacity development.

Among its key interventions, the Institute will provide policy support to government on all ocean- and coastal-related matters, run specialised training programmes and conduct community outreach to enhance the capacities of professionals and fisherfolk.

Announcing the establishment of the Institute at a press briefing on Tuesday, Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto, Acting Vice-Chancellor of UCC, said the university had completed all internal processes and secured approval from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission. He described the move as “a significant milestone in strengthening Ghana’s leadership in ocean and coastal research, governance and sustainable development.”

The AOI is structured around three existing UCC units: the Centre for Coastal Management (CCM), the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS), and the Centre for Marine Affairs (CeMA).

Its thematic priorities include food security, climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, marine pollution, habitat degradation and policy integration.

It will operate under the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.

Prof Aheto stressed that Africa’s oceans were vital to food security, livelihoods, climate regulation, trade, biodiversity conservation, and economic growth, yet faced threats such as climate change, overfishing, pollution, and weak integration of science into policy and practice.

He said the AOI was designed to address these challenges through an integrated approach that connects research, capacity building, and policy engagement.

He disclosed that UCC had received more than $500,000 over the past six years in support of various activities, including internationalisation and regionalisation strategies, which further reinforced the need for a dedicated ocean institute.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor added that the AOI would play a strategic role in Ghana’s development by advancing marine and coastal research, strengthening evidence-based fisheries management, supporting climate adaptation and coastal resilience, informing marine spatial planning and reinforcing Ghana’s leadership in ocean governance across Africa.

At the continental and global levels, he noted that the AOI is conceived as a pan-African initiative supporting sustainable fisheries and food systems, blue economy growth, climate resilience and capacity development for emerging African ocean professionals.

Its vision aligns with Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8, 13, 14 and 17, while promoting African-led perspectives in global ocean processes.

Professor Joseph Aggrey-Fynn, Head of UCC’s Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, highlighted the vast economic opportunities within Ghana’s marine environment, noting that the country had barely tapped its potential.

He cited examples from other countries where electricity generation from sea waves, pharmaceutical research and diverse food industry innovations were already underway.

He underscored the importance of exploring opportunities such as eco-tourism.

Professor Noble Asare of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences emphasised that the AOI would work to safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities by promoting the sustainable use of ocean resources.

He said outreach programmes would be undertaken to document indigenous marine knowledge and complement it with scientific research.