OTGA and the Ocean Decade Empower Early-Career Ocean Professionals Through the First Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in the Western Indian Ocean

The first Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School – Western Indian Ocean (COES-WIO) took place in Mombasa, Kenya, bringing together 75 early-career ocean professionals across 17 countries in the region- selected from 813 applicants.

Organized under the framework of the Ocean Decade and hosted by the Technical University of Mombasa, Pwani University, and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), the Summer School was made possible with support from the National Science Foundation, the Government of Flanders, the University of Michigan, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), the ECOPS Africa node, and with coordination from the Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility and the OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) of IOC.

This week-long intensive Summer School was designed to be highly practical and interactive. One of its key strengths was the hands-on field component — participants conducted coastal field trips to collect real environmental samples, while also using the opportunity to build professional networks with peers and experts from across the Western Indian Ocean region.

The Summer School programme was organized into five thematic project tracks:

1. Ecological Survey Techniques and Data Management
2. Marine Plastics and Pollution
3. Small-Scale Fisheries, Mariculture and Post-Harvest Management
4. Physical and Chemical Oceanography
5. Climate and Physical Processes

The involvement of OTGA ensured that the training content met ISO-accredited standards, making the certificates awarded to participants officially recognized and directly associated with IOC — significantly enhancing their professional value. Importantly, many Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) often struggle to secure funding to access high-quality international training. Through the Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility, this critical barrier was addressed — enabling 13 ECOPs from across Africa to participate in this Summer School.

To highlight the impact of this initiative, watch below the testimonials from three participants who was funded through the Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility, sharing their experience in the programme.

Through the combined efforts of OTGA, the Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility, and its partners, barriers to capacity development for Early-Career Ocean Professionals are being removed, creating more equitable opportunities.

This article was originally published on IOC’s website.