ABSTRACT
Africa is an island continent surrounded by two major oceans, the Atlantic and Indian oceans, consisting of 55 states, made up of 39 coastal states, including island states, and 16 landlocked states. Additionally, Africa is interested in seabed mining activities in the Area because of its potential to build up capacity in ocean science and technology. For instance, at the 2018 sustainable blue economy conference, jointly organised in Nairobi by Kenya, Canada, and Japan, the African Union requested, amongst other things. The AU's top policy and decision-making body, made up of the heads of state and government from all member states, sets the AU's policies, decides its priorities, approves its yearly programme, and supervises its policies and decisions’ execution. The AU's 2018 African blue economy strategy indicates that its purpose is ‘to guide the development of an inclusive and sustainable blue economy that becomes a significant contributor to continental transformation and growth, through advancing knowledge’ in various blue economy sectors.
