Reviving the AU’s maritime strategy

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that the African Union (AU) is failing to implement its maritime strategies, specifically the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS), due to a lack of resources, expertise, and a clear definition of the 'blue economy'. It recommends the establishment of a dedicated maritime office within the AU Commission and the revitalization of the 2050 AIMS Strategic Task Force to move beyond current institutional inertia.

• The African Union (AU) is struggling to implement its maritime strategies, including the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS), because of insufficient resources and expertise.
• There is a significant lack of consensus among AU member states and stakeholders regarding the definition of the 'blue economy', which hinders the coordination of maritime actions across the 54 African states.
• The AU's current maritime focal point, an interdepartmental 2050 AIMS task force located within the Office of the Legal Counsel (OLC), has suffered from marginalization, funding shortages, and a loss of institutional memory following the departure of experienced staff in 2016.
• The 2050 AIMS Strategic Task Force (STF), intended to be the 'lynchpin' for the AU's maritime strategy, has been largely unsuccessful, meeting only once in July 2015 and failing to reach a quorum.
• The author recommends establishing a specialized maritime office or department within the AU Commission, potentially located within the Department of Trade and Industry or Transport, to better leverage the economic potential of the blue economy.
• The Lomé Charter is criticized for underemphasizing economic maritime development in favor of security-centric provisions and for delaying implementation by moving key text to unpublished annexes.

APA

Walker, T. (2017). Reviving the AU’s maritime strategy. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief96.pdf

Chicago

Walker, Timothy. Reviving the AU’s maritime strategy. Institute for Security Studies, 2017. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief96.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walker |first1=Timothy |title=Reviving the AU’s maritime strategy |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 2017 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief96.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walker2017reviving, author = {Walker, Timothy}, title = {{Reviving the AU’s maritime strategy}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/policybrief96.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }