Ghana chosen to pioneer the Ocean Centres Initiative for safer and more sustainable ocean economies across the global south

About the Ocean Centres Initiative

Ghana faces relevant challenges in maritime safety, governance, and infrastructure, such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, fragmented regulation, and limited investment. However, the government is beginning to allocate more resources to the blue economy, showing commitment to long-term development. Opportunities include improving safety in the trawler industry, raising Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) awareness, and embedding international standards. Despite constraints like limited environmental planning and a small maritime sector, strong climate awareness and public-private collaboration offer momentum.

The ocean centres are a first-of-its-kind network that will operate in Ghana, Brazil, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines, hosted and coordinated by the respective UN Global Compact Country Network in each region. They are locally led, community-driven, and inclusive multi-stakeholder platforms that tackle national safety and sustainability challenges across diverse ocean industries. These centres will catalyze national dialogues on safe practices across key sectors such as green shipping, ports, fishing, aquaculture, offshore renewables, and ocean finance. Working groups—comprised of engineers, safety professionals, investors, and local stakeholders—will translate these insights into actionable recommendations and policy input.

The priorities of Ghana’s Ocean Centres across the four action areas are ranked as follows:

Shipping and ports
Fishing and aquaculture
Finance and investment
Offshore renewables

At the national level, the initiative aims to strengthen maritime safety, reduce accidents, and foster a culture of prevention. These improvements will enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and regulatory compliance, supporting Ghana’s broader blue economy agenda.

Next Steps

The Ocean Centres will be officially launched at a high-level side event of the United Nations Ocean Conference on June 10 in Nice, France, titled “United by Ocean Centres – Global and Local Ocean Collaboration in Practice.” This event will bring together international experts, government leaders, and the country leads from each Ocean Centre to explore how local action can inform global progress.

Dr. Emmanuel Kofi, the country lead for the Ocean Centres in Ghana, will participate in the United Nations Ocean Conference, attending various events, taking part in a workshop, and speaking at the official launch. At a global level, the Ocean Centres initiative will strengthen food security, port efficiency, clean energy development, and biodiversity protection. As hubs for sustainable ocean stewardship, they will drive long-term economic and environmental benefits through collaboration, innovation, and investment.

How to Get Involved

Stakeholders across business, government, academia, and civil society are invited to contribute to this unique initiative. Opportunities exist for partnership, technical collaboration, and participation in country-level working groups. More information can be found at: www.oceancentres.com

Notes to Editors

About the UN Global Compact

The ambition of the UN Global Compact is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 20,000 participating companies, five regional hubs, and 63 country networks covering 80 countries, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative—one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.