Planning for climate change in Africa’s maritime transport sector

The policy brief outlines the critical role of maritime transport in Africa's blue economy and the threats posed by climate change, including sea level rise and new global emissions regulations. It advocates for a new continental maritime governance framework to coordinate decarbonisation and resilience efforts. Key recommendations include transforming ports into green logistics hubs, implementing climate risk assessments in infrastructure design, and securing sustainable financing for fleet and port modernisation.

• Maritime transport is fundamental to Africa's economic development and global trade, with over 90% of the continent's trade conducted via maritime routes through approximately 100 ports.
• Climate change poses direct threats to the sector, with sea level rise and extreme weather events impacting infrastructure, while shifting global emissions regulations affect trade competitiveness.
• The maritime industry is a significant source of pollution, accounting for 3% of global GHG emissions, which increased by 20% over the last decade; without intervention, emissions could reach 130% of 2008 levels by 2050.
• In April 2025, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved a carbon levy and a GHG emissions fuel standard, necessitating a regional policy response to mitigate negative economic effects on African states.
• Existing continental maritime strategies, such as the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy and the African Maritime Transport Charter, are now considered dated and lack the strategic direction needed for current challenges.
• Global port-specific risk is estimated at US$7.5 billion annually, with an additional US$63.1 billion of trade at risk each year, disproportionately affecting Small Island Developing States.
• Several African ports are implementing green initiatives; for example, Lekki Port in Nigeria (opened 2023) incorporates environmental impact assessments and has the capacity for solar energy integration.

APA

Beaumont, J., Hampton, S., & Willima, D. (2025). Planning for climate change in Africa’s maritime transport sector. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1755685945751-PB-200-Maritime .pdf

Chicago

Beaumont, Judy, Shannon Hampton, and David Willima. Planning for climate change in Africa’s maritime transport sector. Institute for Security Studies, 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1755685945751-PB-200-Maritime .pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Beaumont |first1=Judy |last2=Hampton |first2=Shannon |last3=Willima |first3=David |title=Planning for climate change in Africa’s maritime transport sector |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2025 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1755685945751-PB-200-Maritime .pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{beaumont2025planning, author = {Beaumont, Judy and Hampton, Shannon and Willima, David}, title = {{Planning for climate change in Africa’s maritime transport sector}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1755685945751-PB-200-Maritime .pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }