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MOMBASA, KENYA , African maritime administrations have launched a high-level technical offensive to safeguard the continent’s economic interests as global negotiations over the decarbonization of the shipping industry intensify. At a two-day technical workshop convened by the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA), leaders warned that Africa must shift from a reactive posture to one of “strategic leverage” within the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The urgency of the meeting, held in the coastal hub of Mombasa, underscores the high stakes for a continent where more than 90 percent of external trade is conducted via sea. The central point of contention remains the IMO’s Net Zero Framework (NZF), a regulatory roadmap intended to transition global shipping from fossil fuels to renewable energy. While environmentally necessary, the framework’s proposed levies on high-emitting vessels have sparked fears of surging logistics costs and diminished trade competitiveness for developing economies.

Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, emphasized that the negotiations have transcended technicalities to become a theater of geopolitical maneuvering. “We meet at an important moment for global shipping and for Africa,” Mohamed stated, noting that international maritime policy is increasingly dictated by power dynamics and the strategic interests of major global players.

The Mombasa summit follows a significant impasse in October 2025, when the IMO postponed the adoption of the NZF for one year. That delay was driven by a coalition led by the United States and Saudi Arabia, alongside concerns from several African nations that a carbon levy could disproportionately inflate the cost of imported food and essential goods.

Omae Nyarandi, Chairman of AAMA and Director General of the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), characterized the current transition as a defining moment for African markets. “The rules governing fuels, emission performance, and compliance are becoming the language of markets,” Nyarandi remarked. He warned that if the transition is finalized without accounting for African realities, the continent risks being marginalized by a regulatory regime it did not help shape.

The economic risks are balanced by potential windfalls. Mohamed noted that the shift toward green shipping presents a unique opportunity for “green industrialization.” This includes the modernization of port infrastructure, the attraction of specialized green finance, and the development of alternative fuel supply chains, sectors that could catalyze job creation and technological transfer across the continent.

The African Union (AU) is also intensifying its oversight. Eric Ntagengerwa, Head of the Transport and Mobility Division at the AU Commission, linked the maritime transition to broader continental goals, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He asserted that a “coherent continental coordination” is essential to ensure that global maritime governance aligns with Africa’s industrialization agenda.

As the IMO prepares for its next round of decision-making, the Mombasa workshop serves as a crucible for a unified African position. The objective is clear: to ensure that the path to net-zero shipping does not come at the expense of Africa’s economic sovereignty, but rather serves as a conduit for sustainable growth.

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