The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has launched the Africa Ocean Institute to strengthen research, training and capacity building on coastal and marine issues across the continent.

Acting Executive Director of the Institute, Prof. Precious Mattah, said the initiative had become necessary as Africa’s coastal population continues to grow, putting increasing pressure on coastal resources amid worsening climate change and environmental degradation.

Speaking to JoyNews, Prof. Mattah said the growing population along Africa’s coastline had increased the use of coastal resources, while climate change was further intensifying threats to the continent’s coastal and marine ecosystems.

“Climate change is affecting our coast, and the degradation of the coastal areas and ocean resources is at its peak. And for that matter, we have to think of better ways of addressing the various challenges affecting our coastline,” he said.

Prof. Mattah explained that the initiative builds on the work of the Centre for Coastal Management at UCC, which has increasingly expanded its focus beyond Ghana.

He said the Centre was selected in 2019 as a World Bank Centre of Excellence, giving it a mandate to train young Africans in postgraduate programmes and conduct research into coastal and maritime issues.

“We were given the mandate to train young Africans from all over the continent in various postgraduate programmes. We were also given the mandate to do research in various issues concerning the coastal and maritime space of the continent,” he said.

According to Prof. Mattah, the experience gained through the World Bank-supported programme provided the foundation for the establishment of the Africa Ocean Institute.

After the World Bank project ended, he said, the Centre recognised the need to build on its achievements and establish a platform capable of supporting countries across Africa with specialised expertise.

“We felt that we have worked enough to launch ourselves onto the continental stage where we can do more, where we can help countries build capacity, where we can actually help various countries conduct research into coastal and marine issues on the continent,” he said.

Prof. Mattah said the establishment of the Institute followed the necessary institutional and regulatory processes.

He explained that the proposal was first submitted to UCC, where it received approval from the university’s Academic Board.

The institution subsequently sought approval from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

“GTEC has actually granted us permission to establish Africa Ocean Institute. And here we are launching Africa Ocean Institute,” he said.

The Institute is expected to serve as a platform for research, postgraduate training and capacity development in coastal and ocean-related fields.

Its establishment comes at a time when coastal communities across Africa face growing pressures from climate change, population growth, pollution, coastal degradation and increasing demand for marine resources.

Prof. Mattah said the Institute would therefore seek to support African countries in developing stronger capacity to understand and respond to the challenges confronting their coastal and maritime spaces.

The initiative, he noted, represents an expansion of UCC’s coastal management expertise from a primarily national focus to a continental platform aimed at supporting sustainable management of Africa’s oceans and coastal resources.