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Background
Africa is strengthening its participation in the global maritime sector by adopting green shipping standards, enhancing port digitalization, and fostering regional cooperation through the African Union’s 2050 AIM Strategy. While Africa accounts for 7% of global maritime export volumes despite the continent’s vast natural resources and strategic geographic positioning. With over 90% of imports and exports transported by sea, the maritime sector is a critical enabler of trade, economic growth, and regional integration. Its active role is growing via IMO collaborations, security initiatives like the Djibouti Code of Conduct and strategic investments in infrastructure.
While the maritime industry continues to expand, inclusion remains a significant gap particularly for persons with disabilities. Across Africa, persons with disabilities are underrepresented in maritime employment, enterprise development, and decision-making structures, despite their potential to contribute meaningfully to the ocean economy. The Maritime Indaba 2026 seeks to position inclusion at the centre of maritime growth by creating a platform that advances policy dialogue, partnerships, and practical solutions.
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Aim and Objectives
The aim of the Maritime Indaba to bridge the gap between policy aspiration and practical implementation by bringing together governments, regional bodies, maritime agencies, industry actors, disability rights organisations, and disabled persons themselves to co design accessible pathways into the sector. A central, transformative goal of the project is to craft and formally adopt a Maritime Charter for Persons with Disabilities in Africa, which will articulate a clear set of principles, standards, and commitments to ensure non discriminatory access, reasonable accommodation, and meaningful participation across maritime training, certification, port operations, coastal enterprises, and policy making processes. Through this Charter and the broader convening functions of the Indaba, the project aims to institutionalise disability inclusion as a permanent and measurable dimension of Africa’s maritime and blue economy agenda.
The objective of the Maritime Indaba is to:
• To promote disability inclusion as a strategic priority within the maritime sector.
• To facilitate policy alignment and reform supporting inclusive maritime development.
• To unlock skills development and employment pathways for persons with disabilities.
• To support enterprise development and market access for disability-owned businesses.
• To showcase innovation and technology enabling accessibility in maritime operations.
• To strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships across the maritime value chain including the informal economy.