For Professor Suzan El-Gharabawy, who was born and raised in a coastal city in Egypt, “The ocean and the sea are built into our characters.” As she sees it, the ocean is not only a topic of research; it is also a personal calling and part of her identity.
Professor El-Gharabawy is the Vice President of the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Egypt and former Vice Chair of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Sub-Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States (IOCAFRICA). After specializing in marine environmental science, she spent nearly two decades working in oceanographic exploration, eventually leading Egypt’s Marine Geophysics Department and serving as chief scientist at a research facility.
Fostering connections, sharing knowledge
Today, Professor El-Gharabawy organizes cutting-edge expeditions to explore the seafloor for vital resources and monitor the parameters that shape marine life – water salinity, ocean currents and tides. She also studies threats to biodiversity, such as oil spills or plastic, which are major concerns for the continent.
But her path has not been an easy one, and 91鶹Ʒ played an important role in her career, providing a platform to connect with global ocean science experts.
91鶹Ʒ helped by allowing me to engage with other Member States and experts globally, to exchange on the latest technology, develop joint programmes for knowledge transfer and capacity building. It has really improved my knowledge and helped me to have a different view about ocean science and how we can be connected as one to save our oceans.
Supporting regional leadership
Like Professor El-Gharabawy, Harrison Onganda, Head of Department at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, aims to transform marine research in Africa, by advancing science, sustainability and regional cooperation.
First a mathematician, he later received training in marine ecology and, thanks to the UNESCO International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange programme, led the development of Kenya’s first Geographic Information System resource atlas.
This breakthrough for coastal management placed Kenya at the heart of data exchange in Africa, supporting collaborations with countries in the Western Indian Ocean and laying the foundations for a continental movement to integrate marine data.
Mr Onganda gained invaluable expertise through a UNESCO data training initiative, now part of the OceanTeacher Global Academy. This programme not only equipped him with essential skills but also prepared him to take on a regional leadership role. Today, he coordinates the Academy's regional training centre in Kenya and promotes Africa’s blue economy, which holds immense potential for sustainable development, food security and job creation.
Ocean careers may seem daunting. But that is just because the ocean is so vast, and the science platforms and equipment are still limited. Especially in the deep sea, there is so much we do not know. Very few scientists here work on deep sea ecology or underwater remote sensing, but those are the frontiers.
The Ocean Decade
Ocean scientists like Professor El-Gharabawy and Mr Onganda play an essential role in Africa, which has 30,000 km of coastline. Out of 54 African States, 38 are coastal, meaning that millions depend on marine resources for their livelihoods.
However, in Africa and elsewhere, the ocean is under threat. New challenges – from climate change and biodiversity loss to overfishing and pollution – are affecting ocean health, meaning that innovative solutions are urgently needed to protect the ‘blue economy’.
UNESCO and its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission are therefore stepping up their actions for ocean science in Africa and beyond, as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). As Mr Onganda reminds us, it's not just about science: ‘It's about the future of African economies.’
