Guinea-Bissau's potential for the blue economy: the case of the Bijagós Islands

Abstract

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA, 2014)¹, the importance of ocean and coastal areas is fundamental for the six African states considered by the United Nations to be Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Guinea-Bissau is a country with a total coastline of 28,120 square kilometres and an estimated 80 islands located in its coastal waters, making it a key player in leading the transition to the blue economy on the African continent. Of the six African states considered as SIDS, Guinea-Bissau has the largest population, of around 1.6 million inhabitants, and the largest geographical area.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the various sectors of the Blue Economy in Guinea-Bissau, developing a diagnosis of needs and a set of recommendations to promote the optimisation of maritime resources.
Firstly, a geographical overview of Guinea-Bissau will be presented. Secondly, an argument will be developed to defend Guinea-Bissau's potential as one of Africa's main players in the area of the Blue Economy. This will be followed by a needs assessment of Guinea-Bissau's various Blue Economy sectors, namely: (1) the state of maritime transport; (2) tourism and Guinea-Bissau's natural capital; (3) fisheries; (4) fossil maritime energy; and (5) renewable energies.
Following this diagnosis of the needs of Guinea-Bissau in general, the case of the Bijagós Archipelago, a group of islands in Guinea-Bissau considered a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve protected area since 1996, will be analysed in greater detail.
¹ UNECA, 2014.