Training for the 2025-26 Great Blue Wall Fellowship: Empowering Coastal Advocates to Lead, Protect, and Narrate the African Seas' Tale
Announcing the Great Blue Wall Fellowship 2025-26: Empowering Ocean and Coastal Conservation Leaders in Africa
The Great Blue Wall Initiative has launched a new program aimed at equipping local leaders from five Western Indian Ocean countries with the skills, networks, and visibility needed to influence policies and tell the stories of ocean and coastal zone conservation in Africa. The Fellowship, titled the Great Blue Wall Fellowship 2025-26, is a one-year leadership and advocacy program focused on bridging the gap between local conservation efforts and regional and global decision-making spaces.
The program, which is open to people actively involved in marine conservation, regenerative blue economy, or nature-based solutions, has a special focus on seagrass ecosystems, chosen for their significance as an "unsung hero" of the ocean. Seagrass meadows protect coastal lines from erosion, store up to 18% of oceanic carbon, feed millions of people through productive fisheries, and provide habitat for endangered species like the dugong and green turtle. However, these ecosystems face growing threats from climate change, over-exploitation, and habitat loss.
The Great Blue Wall Fellowship 2025-26 pilot edition is supported by the Western Indian Ocean Coastal and Ocean Resilience (WIOCOR) project, funded by the French Global Environment Fund (FFEM). WIOCOR works with local communities, scientists, and policymakers to map, protect, and restore seagrass meadows in five countries.
Over the course of 12 months, Fellows will participate in monthly virtual learning sessions, receive personalized mentorship, refine their narrative and advocacy skills, engage in political dialogues, and develop a final project that amplifies community solutions for the ocean and seagrass meadows. The Fellowship will support change agents from five Great Blue Wall marine landscapes - Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Across Africa, communities, scientists, entrepreneurs, and young leaders are already implementing solutions for ocean and coastal zone conservation. The Great Blue Wall Fellowship aims to equip these leaders with the tools they need to make a greater impact and influence policy.
The application process for the Great Blue Wall Fellowship 2025-26 is competitive and typically involves submitting personal and professional information, a statement of interest or motivation related to ocean conservation, and possibly an outline of the applicant’s advocacy or leadership experience in coastal conservation. The deadline for applications is 30 August 2025 (23:59 EAT). Applications are available in English, French, and Portuguese.
The fellowship targets leaders, advocates, and storytellers from African coastal communities who are committed to ocean and coastal conservation. While specific eligibility criteria such as age, professional background, or application prerequisites are not detailed explicitly in the available sources, they emphasize coastal champions actively involved or interested in ocean conservation in Africa.
For the most accurate and updated details, it is advisable to check the official IUCN website or Great Blue Wall platforms for the formal application announcements and deadlines. This program is distinct from generic artist residencies or grants and specifically targets ocean conservation leadership in African coastal communities.
- The Great Blue Wall Fellowship 2025-26 is a one-year leadership and advocacy program focused on environmental-science, specifically on seagrass ecosystems, which are significant in climate-change mitigation and provide numerous benefits to the ocean, coastal lines, and endangered species.
- Aiming to empower local leaders, the Fellowship offers learning opportunities, mentorship, and skill development in narrative and advocacy, political dialogues, and project development, with a focus on education-and-self-development for leaders from African coastal communities.
- To make a greater impact on ocean and coastal zone conservation, this fellowship is designed for advocates and storytellers from Africa who are committed to the cause, seeking to bridge the gap between local conservation efforts and regional and global decision-making spaces through the fusion of science, learning, and action.
