On the 26th and 27th of May 2025, MSPglobal co-facilitated an online training on marine spatial planning (MSP) for practitioners of the Atlantic Coast of West, Central and Southern Africa (ACA) region. The 37 participants from 14 African countries included members of the new regional technical expert group (TEG) who gathered the following day for the first time to embark on their mission of developing a regional MSProadmap.
The MSPglobal programme of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) aims to strengthen MSP processes as well as to improve regional ocean governance in countries of the Abidjan Convention region. For this, it co-facilitated an online MSP training together with GEF IW:LEARN targeted at MSP practitioners of the ACA region, reaching from Mauritania to South Africa.
During the training, the participants were guided through the basics of MSP with a special focus on stakeholder engagement, the sustainable blue economy and transboundary MSP. As preparation for the training, the participants were asked to complete the MSPglobal online course on the Ocean Teacher Global Academy, which is available in English, French and Spanish. Moreover, the training combined exercises of the MSP Challenge strategy game by UNESCO-IOC, and the Blue Planning in Practice by GRID-Arendal, which were conducted in English and French-speaking groups through a digital whiteboard.
The participants of this training included designated members of the TEG for MSP in the ACA region who met online the next day for the first time.
1st Workshop of the Marine Spatial Planning Technical Expert Group for the Atlantic Coast of West, Central and Southern Africa region (MSP-TEG-ACA)
On the 28th May 2025, MSPglobal facilitated a workshop which envisioned the enforcement of knowledge exchange between MSP actors in the ACA region as well as the establishment of a regional TEG on MSP.
The session started with some inspiring introductory words by Mr Ibukun Adewumi, Head of the UNESCO-IOC Sub-Commission for Africa (IOCAFRICA). Then Mr Yacoub Issola of the UNEP’s Abidjan Convention Secretariat set the scene along with representatives of MSPglobal and IOCAFRICA, by presenting their key MSP initiatives and focus areas. Afterwards, it was time for the nominated experts of the participating countries to present the current state-of-the-art of national MSP efforts.
In the second part of the workshop, the participants discussed the terms of reference of the MSP-TEG-ACA for validation. The TEG will consist of two representatives from each of the 22 countries that are part of the Abidjan Convention, namely: Angola, Benin, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo. For the moment, 15 countries have already nominated their representatives.
Finally, the MSP-TEG-ACA also used this session as an opportunity to kickstart discussions around MSP challenges and needs in the region, which were captured in a digital whiteboard. The goal in the coming months will be to co-develop a regional MSProadmap.
DOCUMENTS:
MSP training for ACA:
- MSPglobal: Introduction to MSP
- MSPglobal: OTGA MSPglobal Online Training
- MSPglobal: Introduction to MSP Challenge
- GRID-Arendal: Stakeholder engagement
- GRID-Arendal: Sustainable Blue Economy
- MSPglobal: Transboundary MSP
1st Workshop of the TEG on MSP for ACA:
CONTACT:
MSPglobal.comm@unesco.org