Accra: Mrs Gifty Nyarko, the National President of the Local Government Service Association of Physical Planners (LoGSAPP), has called for national efforts to enhance coastal resilience and preserve ocean health. She emphasized the ocean's crucial role in life sustenance, socio-economic growth, and climate stabilization.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mrs Nyarko, who also serves as the African Ambassador for Inclusive Urban Governance and Climate-Resilient Development, made her appeal through a statement issued to mark the 2025 celebration of World Maritime Day (WMOD). Celebrated annually on September 25th by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the global maritime community, the event aims to raise awareness and advocate for sustainable practices to protect the marine environment. The 2025 theme, 'Our ocean, our obligation, our responsibility,' underscores the importance of oceans in sustaining life, facilitating trade, and influencing climate, while highlighting the shared duty to harness this potential sustainably.
The statement specifically urged urban and land-use governance systems to contribute actively to ocean health and coastal resilience. It called for capacity building for physical planners focused on climate-resilient and marine-sensitive development. The statement stressed that the ocean should not be an afterthought but the foundation of a sustainable future, encouraging embedding ocean stewardship into all levels of planning and governance in Africa.
The rapid urbanization and fragile coastal ecosystems in Africa present both challenges and opportunities, necessitating the integration of ocean governance into national and local urban development frameworks. The statement suggested mainstreaming ocean and coastal governance into urban planning as a strategic step to achieve the objectives of the 2025 theme. It also called for the inclusion of marine and coastal considerations in spatial and land-use planning systems across the African continent.
The statement further emphasized that African urban planning policies should address the land-sea interface, particularly in vulnerable coastal cities, by establishing development buffers to mitigate risks such as erosion, flooding, and saltwater intrusion. It highlighted the importance of access to geospatial data, hazard maps, and climate models, alongside regional knowledge-sharing platforms to promote best practices for sustaining the natural environment.
Additionally, the statement advocated for adopting green building standards in coastal and port developments and encouraged a transition towards low-carbon ports and shipping, consistent with IMO guidelines. It outlined the necessity of aligning local and national planning policies with global agreements on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, such as the forthcoming Global Plastics Treaty, and outcomes from the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. Finally, the statement urged African Union institutions and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to embed ocean-climate-urban linkages into Agenda 2063 and related strategies.