How green shipping and blue finance can shape a sustainable maritime economy in the Western Indian Ocean ?
On the eve of the 11th Our Ocean Conference,
The French Chamber of Commerce in Kenya and the French Embassy in Kenya are pleased to invite you to a breakfast panel discussion on blue economy and sustainable maritime development in the Western Indian Ocean.
As the 11th Our Ocean Conference, the first ever held on African soil, opens in Mombasa on 16 June 2026, the question is no longer whether the Blue Economy matters, but who will shape it and how.
Kenya sits at the heart of this conversation. With a National Blue Economy Strategy targeting KES 350 billion in ocean-based revenues by 2030, and Mombasa emerging as one of East Africa’s most strategic maritime hubs, the stakes for business leaders, investors, and policymakers in this region could not be higher.
Our high-level Breakfast Round Table will explore what a sustainable and commercially credible Blue Economy looks like for the Western Indian Ocean: from green shipping corridors and port infrastructure to blue finance and digital maritime connectivity.
The round table will be driven by a select panel of four senior leaders from the maritime private sector, development finance, and ocean infrastructure, with high-level political representation from both France and Kenya.
The conversation will be structured around three key questions:
- How can major shipping actors operationalise green corridor commitments in the Indian Ocean, and what does this mean for African port infrastructure?
- What financing mechanisms — blended finance, blue bonds, development capital — are needed to unlock bankable Blue Economy projects at scale in East Africa?
- How can French and African maritime expertise be mobilised together to develop coastal infrastructure that is both economically productive and environmentally responsible ?