Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy: The Role of Incubators and Accelerators

The document argues that blue economy incubators and accelerators are essential mechanisms for nurturing ocean-based businesses and incentivising blue finance in Africa. It highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships, the integration of these programmes into maritime clusters, and the use of blended finance to de-risk private investment. The brief provides examples of existing initiatives, such as OceanHub Africa and various global accelerators, to illustrate how these models can support sustainable aquaculture, climate action, and blue-tech solutions.

• Effective partnerships, particularly public-private partnerships, are foundational to the success of blue economy incubators and accelerators, as they provide essential mentoring, infrastructure, and links to investor networks.
• There is a need to strengthen maritime or blue economy clusters in Africa and create more effective links between these clusters and incubator/accelerator programmes to promote innovation and cooperation.
• Blended finance—using public, philanthropic, or development funds to attract private capital—is critical for de-risking investments in sustainable ocean-based businesses, especially in developing countries with limited public finances.
• OceanHub Africa, launched in 2020 as the first blue economy accelerator/incubator in Africa, utilizes a model involving a six- to eight-month programme and sustains itself through percentage-based success fees on fundraising and commercial contracts.
• In Seychelles, the Guy Morel Institute partnered with the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) to launch an accelerator to improve the capacity of local businesses to implement funding and secure further investment.
• Global examples of blue economy accelerators include Hatch Blue (aquaculture), the Sustainable Ocean Alliance's Ocean Solutions Accelerator Programme, Katapult Ocean (Norway), SeaAhead (US), and Australia's ocean impact innovation ecosystem.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2022). Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy: The Role of Incubators and Accelerators. https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-sustainable-blue-economy-the-role-of-incubators-and-accelerators/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy: The Role of Incubators and Accelerators. 2022. https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-sustainable-blue-economy-the-role-of-incubators-and-accelerators/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy: The Role of Incubators and Accelerators |date=8 August 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-sustainable-blue-economy-the-role-of-incubators-and-accelerators/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2022africas, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Africa’s Sustainable Blue Economy: The Role of Incubators and Accelerators}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/africas-sustainable-blue-economy-the-role-of-incubators-and-accelerators/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }