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As global efforts to decarbonise shipping gather pace, Africa is increasingly finding its voice within the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

For Dr. Dola Oluteye, Founder and Co-Chair of the Professional African Technical Network Advisory (PATNA) Initiative, this shift reflects years of quiet groundwork and a growing realization that Africa must shape, not merely follow, global maritime policy.

“I felt Africa needed to leapfrog,” she says, “The technical nature of the negotiations constrained African policymakers.”

Dr. Oluteye’s journey into maritime negotiations began unexpectedly during her academic work at University College London. After nearly three decades in marine infrastructure and the built environment, she transitioned into research and policy, eventually finding herself inside the IMO process and troubled by what she observed.

“Africa has 44 countries in the IMO, the largest share by continent, but there wasn’t much of what you would expect in terms of coordinated influence,” she explains.

That gap led to the creation of the LEAP project, Leading Effective Afrocentric Participation, designed to strengthen Africa’s negotiating power through evidence-based research and technical support. It marked a turning point. In recent years, that investment has begun to show results.

One of the continent’s most significant breakthroughs came during the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 81) in 2024. “For the first time, Africa really rose, bonded together, and delivered a compelling common position,” Dr. Oluteye notes.

She further points to the inclusion of food security in shipping decarbonization discussions, a development supported by studies showing how poorly designed climate policies in shipping could raise transport costs and threaten food access across import-dependent African economies.

African countries are also increasingly submitting their own proposals, a critical avenue for shaping the rules before they are written. “Submission is one of the most critical avenues at the IMO. And now we are seeing African-originated submissions, which is significant.”

What the net-zero framework means for Africa

At the centre of negotiations is the IMO’s proposed net-zero framework, aimed at cutting emissions from global shipping, which currently contributes roughly 3% of global greenhouse gases. The question of how this happens and who bears the cost remains deeply contested.

Africa faces a disproportionate risk. According to modelling by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the continent is among the most economically vulnerable to shipping decarbonization policies.

“The system that works best for Africa,” Dr. Oluteye says, “generates revenue and flows that money back to the most impacted countries.” Without this, she warns, the transition risks deepening inequalities rather than resolving them.

The IMO has acknowledged equity concerns in its deliberations, and developing nations, including several African states, have pushed for mechanisms that protect vulnerable economies from the costs of the energy transition. But the specifics of revenue redistribution remain among the most contested elements of the framework.

A unified African position is therefore critical. As seen during recent high-level meetings in Kenya and Abuja, a clear continental stance is taking shape, anchored on justice, equity, and development.

“The message is consistent,” Dr. Oluteye says. “African countries want emissions reduced, but not in a way that sets Africa’s economy back.”

The priorities are interlocking: protecting food security amid rising transport costs; supporting oil-dependent economies through a fair transition; shielding net food-importing nations from price shocks; and leveraging Africa’s vast renewable energy potential to drive green industrialisation from within.

“We have 60% of the world’s solar potential and up to 45% of the renewable resources needed for the global transition,” Dr. Oluteye points out.

Yet the continent still exports raw materials and imports finished products, an imbalance its leaders are now actively seeking to reverse. “We don’t just want to be exporting raw materials and then importing finished products. We also want value addition to these raw materials in Africa to create jobs and businesses for Africans.”

The finance gap: a structural barrier

Despite these opportunities, financing remains a major hurdle. Renewable energy projects in Africa face borrowing costs as high as 20%, compared with single-digit rates in developed economies. “Nobody wants to invest where they are paying three to five times more,” Dr. Oluteye explains.

She highlights underutilised climate finance mechanisms, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which provides grants for readiness and early-stage project development.

“Every developing country has access to about $7 million in readiness funding, but many maritime sectors don’t even know this exists.” Unlocking such funding, she argues, could accelerate Africa’s transition without waiting for global frameworks to be finalised.

The question of which fuels will power tomorrow’s shipping fleet adds another layer of complexity and opportunity. Green hydrogen offers zero emissions but remains costly to store and transport at scale.

Ammonia is easier to handle and is already being tested across shipping routes. Biofuels are immediately usable without requiring new ship technology, but carry a critical caveat.

“We must ensure food and fuel don’t compete,” Dr. Oluteye cautions. For a continent where food security is already under pressure, that is not a hypothetical risk.

Representation: still a constraint

Despite the momentum, Africa’s influence remains structurally constrained. Of the continent’s 44 IMO member states, only 18 have ratified key regulatory instruments under MARPOL Annex VI, thereby significantly limiting their voting power.

“That reduces Africa’s voice from 25% to less than 10%,” Dr. Oluteye warns. “This is not good for our continent.”

With negotiations ongoing and key decisions approaching, the stakes could not be higher. “The net-zero framework is not yet adopted; it’s still being shaped,” she says. “This is the moment Africa must be at the table.”

Her message is unambiguous: “Nature doesn’t negotiate. But people do. And if you’re not at the table, you are the menu.”

Beyond emissions reduction, Dr. Oluteye sees the maritime transition as an opportunity to redefine Africa’s economic trajectory through industrialization, job creation, and energy independence.

The recent ratification of the African Maritime Transport Charter and plans for an African Maritime Organization could further strengthen that coordination.

“Africa is a continental island,” she says. “We are surrounded by water, and the blue economy can drive our development and prosperity if we make it a continental priority.”

In the end, the IMO negotiations are no longer just about ships. They are about Africa’s future.