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The Latin American-African Union Commission Chairman Dlamini Zuma said at the AU Maritime Special Summit in Lomé, the capital of Togo, that the marine economy is the "next frontier" of African development, full of opportunities, and Africa is far from fully developed. And the use of marine resources.

         "38 out of 54 African countries are facing the sea. About 90% of Africa's import and export trade is achieved by sea, but the proportion of seafarers in Africa is less than 1% of the world's, and the proportion of ships owned by Africa is only 1.8% of the world." Zuma said.

         Zuma believes that "although import and export trade is done through our oceans and waterways, we have not benefited from it, including solving employment problems." She said that Africa's marine economy is expected to reach $1 trillion. Hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created for Africa, but Africa is still plagued by problems such as maritime security, disorderly fishing and the voluntary discharge of toxic waste.

         Zuma said: "The ocean is part of our border and we must ensure the safety of the ocean space."

         As the first female chairman of the AU, Zuma particularly emphasized the role of women in the development of the marine economy and believed that women should be fully involved in the development of the marine economy from the very beginning. “The marine economy should be an inclusive economy, and women should be part of it. Conditions should be created to allow women to work in this field and have the opportunity to become entrepreneurs in the marine economy,” she said.

         In 2014, the AU adopted the 2050 African Ocean Strategy as a whole, which aims to support and encourage the development of a vibrant, environmentally friendly and sustainable economy to create more wealth. The AU Special Summit on Maritime Safety, Defence and Development took this as a background to actively promote the development of marine economy in Africa.

Source: Xinhua News Agency