As South Africa enters the next phase of developing its oceans economy, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh, has called for stronger collaboration between government and the private sector to turn opportunities in the sector into tangible benefits.
Singh said achieving an ocean economy that benefits coastal communities requires investment in skills development, support for cooperatives, improved access to finance, and greater backing for youth and women entrepreneurs.
“Through partnership and collective action, we can unlock coastal opportunities, drive community growth and build a thriving, inclusive and sustainable oceans economy for generations to come. The challenge before us is not the absence of opportunities. The challenge is creating the partnerships necessary to unlock them,” the Deputy Minister said on Wednesday in Amathole.
He was speaking at the Rural Oceans Economy Indaba 2026 in the Eastern Cape, held under the theme “Unlocking Coastal Opportunities: Partnerships for Community Growth”.
“Let us therefore strengthen our collaboration. Let us deepen partnerships with government, communities, industry and civil society. Let us mobilise the resources, investment and expertise required to unlock the full potential of South Africa's oceans economy,” the Deputy Minister said.
South Africa’s rich and productive coastal waters support thousands of jobs across a range of ocean-based industries and contribute billions of rand to the national economy each year.
In 2014, the government launched Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy to unlock opportunities in sectors such as aquaculture, marine transport and manufacturing, offshore oil and gas exploration, coastal and marine tourism, and ocean governance.
“The programme demonstrated that the oceans economy has the potential to unlock billions of rands in investment and create hundreds of thousands of jobs for South Africans,” Singh said.
Since its launch, progress has included the revitalisation of coastal infrastructure, stronger marine protection and ocean governance, investor attraction, major infrastructure upgrades to maintain and expand ship repair facilities at ports, and the promotion of emerging industries such as aquaculture.
The country is now entering the next phase of developing and growing the oceans economy through the finalisation of the Oceans Economy Master Plan.
The Deputy Minister said the plan’s overarching objective is to increase the sector's contribution to job creation, economic growth and long-term development, while promoting environmental sustainability, inclusivity and transformation.
The plan examines value chains across key ocean economy sectors, identifies constraints and sets out practical interventions needed to unlock greater investment, competitiveness and inclusive growth.
“While Operation Phakisa established a strong foundation and demonstrated the immense opportunities that exist within the oceans economy, the Master Plan seeks to take this work further by advancing the growth of key ocean economy subsectors.
“For coastal districts such as Amathole, the opportunity is to align local development initiatives with national priorities, strengthen value chains in fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, support small-scale producers and entrepreneurs, and attract investment into coastal infrastructure and economic activities,” Singh said.
The Amathole District has emerged as an important area for ocean economy development through initiatives identified under Operation Phakisa, including those focused on aquaculture development and coastal and marine tourism.
“These initiatives demonstrate the practical opportunities that exist for rural economic development through aquaculture and sustainable marine resource utilisation.
“They also demonstrate how ocean economy development can stimulate local value chains, create employment, support small businesses and improve household incomes. Importantly, they show that economic development and environmental sustainability can and must go hand in hand,” the Deputy Minister said. - SAnews.gov.za
