投资蓝色食品：创新与合作以实现影响力

Food Innovators Network W H I T EP A P E R Images:Adobe Stock Contents Foreword Executive summary Introduction 1The blue foods opportunity and its potential for Africa 1.1Blue food systems are significant and expanding1.2Globally and in Africa, blue foods offer powerful benefits 2Challenges facing blue food systems 2.1Challenges limiting blue foods’ abilityto scale up are amplified in Africa’s context 2.2Blue food challenges compoundedby a limited enabling environment 13 4Innovation can unlock blue foods’ potential 4.1Three categories of innovation play critical roles 4.2Innovators are already rethinking key challenges– with potential applications for Africa 4.3Global examples offer promise for Africa’sblue food transformation Conclusion Appendix: Methodologies Contributors Endnotes This material has been funded by UK International Development fromthe government of the United Kingdom. However, the views expressed Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as acontribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings,interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result ofa collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World ©2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No partof this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any formor by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by Foreword Alfredo GironHead of Ocean,World Economic Forum Noopur DesaiManager, Food Initiatives andPartnerships, Food and Water,World Economic Forum Across the continent and globally, innovators arealready proving what is possible, from sustainablefeed production to digital monitoring and circularwaste solutions. Realizing this potential requiresseeing blue foods not as a standalone endeavourbut part of a holistic food system. The integrationof aquatic and terrestrial food production – throughshared infrastructure, circular resource flows and The future of global food production depends onthe ability to diversify production, while scaling-upinnovation to strengthen resilience and nutrition, andto create livelihoods opportunities. This report isabout blue foods – spanning fisheries, aquacultureand the aquatic value chain. When supported by A deep dive into Africa highlights the tremendouspotential of blue foods. If blue foods production weredoubled – drawn from the continent’s rivers, lakesand seas – it could unlock an additional $17 billionin GDP, reduce its protein gap by 25% comparedto the global average, and generate millions ofsustainable livelihoods. Furthermore, a meaningful Through the Food Innovation Hubs, the WorldEconomic Forum and partners are proposing anew cooperation model that enables strongercoordination across policy-makers, innovators,private sector and local communities. The modelconnects these actors to a global Food Innovators Africa’s story is one of abundance, natural wealth,young talent and vast opportunity. Diversificationand innovation will enable Africa to be a leaderin unlocking the blue food opportunity that canfeed its people, power its economies, create jobs, Despite this potential, high input costs, limitedinfrastructure and environmental pressures continueto hold the sector back. By simply meeting globalaverages across key loss drivers – inputs, wasteand spoilage, disease risks and traceability losses –Africa could produce an additional 5 million tonnes Executive summary Unlocking Africa’s blue food potentialfor healthier people, stronger economiesand a sustainable future. Blue foods – fish, shellfish, crustaceans, seaweedand other aquatic organisms from marine,freshwater and brackish systems – are criticalto feeding the world, sustaining livelihoods andprotecting the planet. Globally, they provide nutritionfor billions of people, support around 800 million costs, reduce waste and raise quality. Improvedtilapia breeding, insect-based and methane-fermented feeds and oral vaccines are loweringinput costs and disease risks. Tools for real-timemonitoring and precision feeding are improving farmperformance, while solar-powered dryers, AI-basedfish grading and digital traceability platforms arereducing spoilage and opening new markets. Circular Across Africa, blue foods already supply about18% of total animal protein and underpin millions oflivelihoods across fisheries, aquaculture, processingand trade. With demand for affordable, nutritiousprotein rising rapidly, the blue foods sectorrepresents one of the fastest-growing opportunitiesfor job creation and inclusive economic growth onthe continent. If blue foods production in Africawere doubled to approximately 26 million tonnes However, innovation alone is not enough.Experience from other regions shows thattransformation accelerates when governments,investors and communities align around sharedgoals. Norway, for example, linked aquaculturelicences to innovation and environmental Africa can chart its own transformation: innovation,supported by str