On Tuesday, June 10 at 9:30 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center, in collaboration with the Policy Center for the New South, will launch the inaugural policy brief of its new programming dedicated to the opportunities of the Atlantic basin.

This new issue brief by William Yancey Brown highlights the vast energy and mineral potential of the Atlantic Ocean and how African nations bordering the basin can manage resources responsibly and fairly. The issue brief will launch on a backdrop that includes World Ocean Day, the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, and the continuing work of the Group of Twenty (under South Africa’s presidency) within the Oceans 20 engagement group.

The Atlantic Ocean is of paramount importance to Africa. The African nations on the ocean’s shore represent 46 percent of the continent’s population, 55 percent of its gross domestic product, and 57 percent its trade. The blue economy is crucial for Africa as the continent’s economies see new changes brought upon by issues related to the maritime energy transition, the port revolution, maritime transport, fishing, and control over exclusive economic zones. African countries have accordingly developed frameworks, through the African Union, for action in the region and declared 2015-2025 the “Decade of Africa’s Seas and Oceans“.

Join us for this conversation and for the launch of our new series aimed at highlighting the economic and strategic importance of the Atlantic basin.