Securing the blue: political ecologies of the blue economy in Africa

Part of the special section “Political Ecologies of the Blue Economy in Africa,” this article explores how the Blue Economy–an ocean-based development model aiming to balance economic growth with ecological sustainability–relies on logics of security. Through a political ecology lens, the authors trace how marine spaces are economically valued, militarized, and surveilled. These processes unfold unevenly across African coasts, revealing tensions between resource accumulation, sovereignty, and justice.