Ghana’s recent debt and inflation challenges prompted an ongoing IMF-supported programme. By the third quarter of 2025, the economy began to show signs of recovery, creating a more stable macroeconomic backdrop for structural reforms in the years to come. Ghana recorded a 6.1% economic growth, with a marked decline in inflation from 23.8% to 6.3% by November 2025, and a 40.7% cedi appreciation against the US dollar by the end of December.
That notwithstanding, the economy remains heavily dependent on imports, although it recorded a trade surplus in recent years, with exports coming mainly from primary products. These gains could be encouraging but still point to a fragile economy unless Ghana explores new, sustainable growth poles to power a more diversified and resilient economy.
The government of the day identifies the 24-hour economy agenda as one of the key growth poles to bolster the country’s industrial growth. While the initiative looks promising amid a relatively stable economic foundation, the questions remain: whether this is the only game changer, how it links to other growth poles, and whether Ghana can drive these strategies from plan to outcomes under a coherent national action plan that also leverages the emerging blue economy potential?
Ghana’s Blue Economy: From vision to implementation
One key area that Ghana needs to turn to in 2026 is the blue economy. The country’s vast ocean, coastline and inland waters hold huge potential for its sustainable economic growth. Following the global imperative, the country’s blue economy journey has moved from a high‑level aspiration to a structured implementation roadmap in December 2025, with the government showing initial commitment by launching the Ghana Sustainable Ocean Plan (SOP).
The SOP seeks to sustainably manage the country’s entire 225,000 km² (200 nautical miles) Exclusive Economic Zone through six key pillars: ocean wealth, ocean health, ocean knowledge, ocean equity, ocean finance and maritime security, underpinned by protecting ecosystems, harnessing ocean resources for economic value and ensuring equitable and inclusive development.
With 2026-2027 set as the first phase, “year of delivery” for a national blue industrial revolution, this new strategy seeks to bridge the long‑standing silos of the blue economy sectors, such as fisheries, transport, tourism, environment, energy, finance and local government, which were previously coordinated only at a high political level through loose, multi‑institutional arrangements.
The move signals a shift from fragmented interventions to “the whole‑of‑government” delivery approach, in line with the Africa Agenda 2063, the Africa Blue Economy Strategy and the SDGs. As a country known for formulating impressive policy frameworks but undertaking depressive implementation, this is yet again a test of our ability to translate the blue economy strategy into tangible improvements in coastal livelihoods, coastal and marine ecosystem protection and revenue mobilisation.
The Role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture
One key anchor of Ghana’s blue economy is fisheries and aquaculture. This sector contributed about 23.1% to agricultural GDP in Q3 2025, while providing livelihoods for over 5% of the country’s population, including women and youth, through direct and indirect jobs like value-added fish processing. Meanwhile, fish remains a major source of protein for Ghanaian households.
However, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has pushed fish stocks to critical levels. Recent sectoral analyses highlight Ghana among West African states heavily affected by IUU fishing and transhipment, with significant revenue loss and social strain on artisanal communities.
Thanks to the newly introduced Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146), the sector is expected to experience bold reforms, including tackling IUU fishing, strengthening fisheries management and rebuilding its long‑term viability. Also significant in the new legal regime is the doubling of the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) from 6 to 12 nautical miles to shield artisanal fishing grounds from encroachment by unapproved fishing vessels and gears and impose tougher penalties on offenders.
Fisheries would be able to support the blue economy for economic growth in 2026, if this new regulatory regime is enforced alongside licensing controls, electronic monitoring and logbooks on the industrial fleet and a real-time ocean surveillance regime, backed by community co‑management. Equal attention would also have to be given to sustainable aquaculture through cold‑chain development and post‑harvest processing, empowering women and youth participation.
More so, fisheries operations, such as fuel for fishing vessels and processing facilities, should be linked to efficient or low‑carbon fuels in line with the national energy transition plan to reduce fuel costs and sector-related emissions while improving the resilience and profitability. The government should reconsider removing the long‑controversial subsidy on premix fuels for artisanal fishing vessels, which has failed its objective over time by only encouraging political diversion. Attention should also be turned to investments in clean fuel alternatives for vessels, such as biofuels.
Repositioning Maritime Trade and Ports
The maritime sector is another critical sector of Ghana’s economy. About 85% of the country’s trade, including agricultural products and manufactured goods, relies on maritime routes. Ghana’s ports in Tema and Takoradi have seen rising traffic, managing 1500 vessels, including container, bulk and cruise vessels annually. However, limited port‑linked infrastructure, inadequate industrial capacity, and logistical inefficiencies continue to impede the country from capturing the needed value from this sector
Since Ghana’s broader industrialisation agenda through the 24‑hour economy, the big push for road infrastructure and connecting to the continental free trade, AfCFTA hinges partly on efficient port performance and maritime corridors, the government must reposition the ports for this growth. It must extend the country’s port‑linked special economic zones, automate port facilities and operations with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) and incentivise marine businesses to adopt green energy.
Harnessing Sustainable Energy from Coastal and Offshore Resources
Additionally, the overall growth of the blue economy requires sustainable power. Coastal communities are among the least electrified areas in Ghana. The country’s Energy Transition Plan outlines a medium to long‑term pathway to a diversified and low‑carbon energy system, balancing energy access, security and climate commitments.
In the interim, offshore oil and gas remain the mainstay of the country’s power generation, accounting for about 10.7% of total oil production in 2024 after five years of decline, and yielding about a 27.8% increase in petroleum revenues. The sector still looks forward to its largest oil field, after the Minister for Energy and Green Transition announced the discoveries of the Eban-Akoma oil fields off the Cape Three Points in mid-2025, which is expected to hold about 500-700 million barrels of oil.
However, given the risks associated with the continuous dependence on oil and gas, there is a need for Ghana to quickly enhance gas utilisation from its current reserves as a transition fuel to finance a shift to renewables.
Emerging studies across sub‑Saharan Africa highlight the potential of wave, tidal, onshore and offshore wind resources and coastal zone solar energy. Although this development is less mature in Ghana, it presents emerging opportunities for providing sustainable power.
Looking forward, while implementing existing energy policies, the government must initiate feasibility assessments and pilot projects for offshore and onshore renewables in suitable coastal zones. Such initiatives must prioritise stronger local content, environmental safeguards and earmarking some resource rents for blue-green investments. Moreover, future energy policies should develop cold‑ironing (alternative maritime power) and green power for ports and storage facilities in fishing and aquaculture clusters in line with the national energy transition.
Promoting Coastal Tourism
Furthermore, tourism has long been a pillar of Ghana’s economy, but the sector’s potential has largely been underexplored. The sector recorded a US$4.8 billion tourism revenue and over 1.2 million international arrivals in 2024. Successive governments in the last few decades have signaled an attempt to move the sector up the value chain by consolidating existing cultural, heritage, and creative industry initiatives into a more ambitious year-round tourism activity, now known as the “Black Star Experience.”
These initiatives directly intersect with the blue economy. Many of Ghana’s iconic coastal heritage sites, such as the Cape Coast, Elmina and Osu castles, and the forts hold a significant potential for coastal tourism.
To tap into this potential, Ghana must invest in coastal sanitation and clean beaches, rehabilitate coastal heritage sites, develop community‑based ecotourism and promote seafood consumption and create financing models targeted at youth and women in marine-related businesses.
Addressing the Threats of Coastal and Marine Pollution
Notwithstanding the great potential of the blue economy, pollution remains a major threat to coastal and marine ecosystems. A substantial share of global coastal and marine pollution originates from upstream sources, particularly from poorly managed municipal wastes, including plastic debris washed downstream by rivers.
Ghana’s major coastal areas are not exempt from this pattern, as urbanisation, inadequate waste infrastructure, illegal mining activities and poor waste management behaviours contribute to siltation, beach litter, clogged lagoons, heavy metals and nutrients loads and degraded estuaries, undermining fisheries, tourism and public health , . These pressures directly affect marine life, including fish nursery grounds and shellfish safety.
To achieve a resilient blue economy, initial action plans must include integrated land–sea waste management plans for coastal municipalities, behavioural change towards single plastic use, targeted plastic recycling policies, enforcing extended producer responsibility, and promoting community-led clean-up initiatives linked to tourism promotion and ocean health recovery.
Building Coastal Resilience against Climate Change Impacts
Finally, among all the highlighted growth strategies, coastal resilience must be central to the blue economy. Across all coastal communities, rising sea levels, coastal erosion and extreme weather events continue to threaten Ghana’s coastal settlements, the working waterfront and critical ecosystems.
To build a resilient economy, the government must prioritise both mitigation and adaptation strategies in line with the national climate adaptation plan. Such actions must be directed at restoring degraded mangroves, wetlands and beaches, coastal sanitation, climate‑smart coastal planning, strengthening early‑warning systems and aligning sea‑defence interventions and nature‑based solutions with social protection and resettlement plans for at‑risk communities.
Going into 2026
In conclusion, the blue economy offers a powerful vehicle linking coastal and inland water resources to industrialisation, economic growth and climate resilience. Going into 2026, the key question is not whether Ghana can afford to invest in its oceans, but whether it can afford not to, given the growing threats and missed opportunities. The following strategic actions should be prioritised in 2026:
- Implement the blue economy strategy and the SOP, starting with a few high‑impact, clearly budgeted actions under each pillar every year
- Integrate environmental and natural‑resource accounting into macroeconomic analysis and national accounts to track blue‑sector performance, impacts and guide policy
- Scale up blue finance– blue bonds and blended models, while ensuring strong national ownership, local content and fair benefit‑sharing
- Promote ocean literacy by supporting existing ocean-related research institutions of higher learning, especially the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana and the Regional Maritime University, that have dedicated faculty for interdisciplinary ocean studies, setting up ocean hubs in coastal pre-tertiary high schools, particularly, technical/vocational schools and leading advocacy in coastal communities to increase awareness on ocean stewardship
- Establish a Blue Economy Commission vested with multi‑sectoral coordinating and regulatory powers for the implementation of the SOP regardless of political regime changes
- Deepen regional collaboration through the West Africa Sustainable Oceans Programme (WASOP), the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme (WACA) and the Africa Blue Economy Strategy to tackle transboundary threats and accelerate shared blue growth
Aligning these actions with the ongoing green transition, industrial revolution, and tourism renaissance, social inclusion, anti-illegal mining and clean cities drive will move Ghana’s blue economy strategy from rhetoric to reality. The time to act is now!
Author:
Harry Nutifafa Arden
A Blue Economy Researcher
Email: harrynutifafa@gmail.com
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