Gabon Proposes to Headquarter Fund in Support of Regional Blue Economy Capital Boost

Gabon seeks to become the regional center for driving sustainable blue economy initiatives in the Gulf of Guinea, with the official expression of its interest in hosting the headquarters of an undisclosed fund aimed at financing the blue economy in the Gulf of Guinea. The announcement was made on Friday, October 3, 2025, in Libreville by Venâncio Soares Gomes, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (CGG), after a meeting with Gabon’s Minister of the Sea, Fisheries, and Blue Economy, Laurence Ndong.

According to Gomes, Gabon’s well-developed institutional framework for managing its maritime space and fisheries resources positions Gabon as a strong candidate to host the fund.

The proposed fund is geared to serve as a strategic financing instrument for advancing sustainable economic growth in the maritime and coastal sectors of Gulf of Guinea member states. Its core objective is to mobilize and channel capital into priority areas including fisheries governance, marine ecosystem preservation, enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the modernization of port and coastal infrastructure. In addition, the fund will also aim to build institutional capacity and create an enabling environment for public-private partnerships across the blue economy value chain by stimulating private investment in ocean-related industries, including fish processing, maritime logistics, and coastal transportation.

Currently, the initiative remains in the planning stage, as member countries work to define the fund’s initial capital, the structure of national contributions, and its governance model. A launch date has yet to be announced.

In the long term, the fund could serve as a key financial instrument to convert the Gulf of Guinea’s maritime resources into a driver of regional economic growth. It would also offer a unified financing platform for initiatives related to maritime security, coastal resilience, and the sustainable development of marine assets.

About the Gulf of Guinea Commission

Headquartered in Luanda, Angola, the Gulf of Guinea Commission is an international body that was established by a Treaty signed in Libreville, Gabon, on 3 July 2001. Member States of the Commission comprise the Republic of Angola, Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Cameroon, the Gabonese Republic, Republic of Ghana, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe. This commission is crucial for ensuring stability and the promotion of shared interests amongst the Gulf of Guinea nations, particularly in light of the region’s rich natural resources and strategic geopolitical significance.