The Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) has appointed Dr. Karen Sumser-Lupson, Founder and Principal of 751.EARTH, as its International Ambassador.

ABER said the appointment would strengthen its efforts to connect African Blue Economy priorities with global expertise, climate finance and investment opportunities.

The organisation’s Convener and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, announced the appointment during an engagement with travel writers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The engagement also explored the media’s role in promoting the African Union Blue Economy Strategy (AUBES) and building public support for its implementation.

Kiyaramo said partnerships with media practitioners and travel writers were central to ABER’s mandate of Dialogue, Deal-making and Delivery.

He said Sumser-Lupson’s extensive experience in ocean governance, maritime security and blue-green finance would add significant value to the organisation’s continental programmes.

Sumser-Lupson began her career in maritime search and rescue before earning a PhD in Geographical Sciences from the University of Plymouth.

Her doctoral work focused on maritime security and environmental protection.

For more than three decades, she has worked with African Member States on maritime strategies, legislation and investment frameworks.

She contributed to major continental and regional instruments, including the AU African Maritime Transport Charter and the Lomé Charter on Maritime Safety and Security.

Her work has covered West, Central and East Africa, with particular experience across the Gulf of Guinea and wider Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions.

As founder of 751.EARTH, representing “7 Continents, 5 Oceans, 1 Mission: Life on Earth”, she focuses on mobilising climate finance for developing countries.

ABER said she currently oversees a project pipeline valued at about 1 billion dollars, covering decarbonisation, coastal resilience and sustainable livelihoods.

Kiyaramo said the experience would help ABER deepen efforts to develop practical and bankable projects aligned with Africa’s development priorities.

“Dr. Karen embodies the bridge ABER seeks to build, from African priorities to global capital, and from policy to delivery,” he said.

He said her appointment would help transform the continent’s Blue Economy potential into jobs, investment and sustainable prosperity.

Meanwhile, Mr. Akpekwu Imbufe, South South Coordinator of the BRACED Travel Writers Corps, stressed the importance of storytelling in advancing the Blue Economy agenda.

Imbufe, who is also Editor of Blue Economy Newsmagazine, Abuja, said travel writers could make complex policies accessible by connecting them with the experiences of coastal communities.

“By humanising the Blue Economy, we translate complex policies into stories that resonate,” Imbufe said.

He cited fisherfolk in the Gulf of Guinea, women seaweed farmers in Zanzibar and eco-tourism operators in Seychelles as examples of stories that could bring the policy closer to the people.

Imbufe said effective storytelling could change perceptions of the ocean from a dumping ground to a major source of jobs, food security and climate resilience.

ABER is a continental platform bringing together governments, the private sector, academia and civil society to promote sustainable and inclusive growth of Africa’s Blue and Green Economy.

Its approach is anchored on three pillars: Dialogue, Deal-making and Delivery.

•ABER Convener and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo, (Left) and Dr. Karen Sumser-Lupson International Ambassador