Ocean Centres Kenya
Kenya's ocean and inland waters are central to trade, food security and livelihoods. Maritime transport carries 90% of international trade, worth over US$3 billion annually. Fisheries and aquaculture support over 4 million people and generate KES 30.4 billion in fish-production value. Yet IUU fishing costs about KES 90 billion annually, cold-chain and data systems remain weak, and women make up 1.2% of seafarers. Ocean Centres Kenya positions safety as an economic enabler: stronger systems can reduce losses, improve reliability and strengthen risk information for lenders and insurers, supporting inclusive and investable blue-economy growth.
Key Findings Report
Ocean Centres Kenya by the numbers
Workshop participations by sector
498 total"Others" includes individuals who participated without representing a specific organisation or sector.
Civil-society platforms (113) and private companies (112) led a room of nearly 500 participations, with community, Indigenous, women- and youth-led organisations adding 51 more — lived experience from the coast alongside the sectors that operate on it.
99 organisations and 7 individuals have formally committed to Ocean Centres Kenya — the largest Official Membership across the seven Ocean Centres — a strong institutional base for the Extension Phase and the National Action Plan.
Three things you need to know about Ocean Centres Kenya
Maritime transport carries 90% of Kenya's international trade, valued at over US$3 billion annually. The ports of Mombasa and Lamu also serve as gateways to an Eastern and Central African market of more than 300 million people.
Fisheries and aquaculture support over 4 million people across Kenya's value chain. Annual fish production stands at 163,605 metric tonnes, with an estimated value of KES 30.4 billion.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing costs Kenya about KES 90 billion annually. It depletes fish stocks, threatens food security and undermines the livelihoods and long-term resilience of fishing communities.
The key achievements, the full set of safety challenges and recommendations, and the workshop-by-workshop evidence are in the Ocean Centres Kenya report (PDF).
