Tanzania is positioning the upcoming 12th Conference of the Parties to the Nairobi Convention (COP12) as a platform to showcase investment opportunities in the blue economy while seeking regional solutions to growing environmental challenges affecting the Western Indian Ocean.
The conference, which Tanzania will host in Dar es Salaam from October 6 to 10, 2026, is expected to bring together governments, investors, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss sustainable use of marine resources and ways of strengthening the resilience of coastal communities.
More than 1,460 delegates have registered for the meeting, including over 700 participants from outside Tanzania. The conference is expected to be officially opened by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Mhandisi Hamad Masauni, said Tanzania would use the meeting to highlight investment opportunities in sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, water transport and other ocean-based economic activities.
“We expect investors to discuss and identify various investment opportunities in the blue economy,” Mr Masauni said.
He said the conference would also seek to mobilise finance, technology and investment for marine and coastal conservation, climate action, pollution control and sustainable blue economy projects.
COP12 is expected to produce the Dar es Salaam Declaration, adopt decisions of the Conference of the Parties and a Joint Ministerial Declaration, as well as elect the bureau that will lead the Nairobi Convention during the 2026–2028 period.
Mr Masauni said the meeting comes at a time when countries in the region are facing increasing pressure from climate change, marine pollution, illegal fishing and the degradation of marine ecosystems.
He said regional cooperation was therefore critical to protecting marine resources while ensuring that communities dependent on the ocean benefit from emerging economic opportunities.
Tanzania’s national theme for the conference is “Towards a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Indian Ocean for People and the Environment.”
According to Mr Masauni, the country wants to ensure that blue economy opportunities translate into jobs, sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, trade and improved livelihoods for coastal communities.
“Protecting and restoring mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass beds is not only an environmental responsibility; it is also an economic opportunity because these ecosystems support livelihoods and protect coastal communities,” he said.
The conference will also focus on the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity, including mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds and important breeding grounds that support fisheries and protect coastlines.
Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office, Richard Muyungi, said the meeting would provide an opportunity for countries to strengthen measures for protecting marine biodiversity while promoting sustainable use of ocean resources.
The discussions will also cover implementation of key international frameworks, including the Nairobi Convention, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
Mr Masauni said Tanzania also expected COP12 to strengthen the use of scientific research, technology and marine spatial planning in decision-making.
He urged government institutions, the private sector, academics, researchers, civil society organisations and citizens to participate actively, saying broad engagement would be essential to ensuring the conference delivers practical outcomes for marine conservation, investment and coastal communities.