Africa lacks the capacity to remove carbon dioxide from its marine ecosystems despite being among the regions hardest hit by global pollution, scientists have said.
Experts meeting in Mombasa for the Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal in Africa (mCDR) forum, held on Saturday of September 4, 2025 at Prideinn Paradise hotel, warned that while the continent’s oceans absorb vast amounts of carborn dioxide, few technologies exist locally to remove it.
Delegates from Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Namibia and other African nations joined global experts from France, German and United states of America to discuss ways of advancing marine carbon dioxide removal.
Currently, most African nations rely on natural carbon sinks such as sea grass and mangrove forests methods that are far slower than the pace at which oceans absorb carbon.
“This continent has been a receiver of technology for too long,” said Shamim Nyanda of Ocean Climate Innovation Hub in Tanzania.
“As youth, we want to develop our own ocean technologies that meet Africa’s needs," she said.
She explained that modern technologies such as ocean alkalinity enhancement, direct ocean capture and rock weathering could help the continent reduce oceanic carbon dioxide and boost marine biodiversity; however, they remain inaccessible.
Removing carbon from the ocean, Shamim Nyanda said, would help restore fish population and sustain coastal livelihoods threatened by warming seas. However she warned that mCDR technologies also pose ecological risk, including altered nutrients levels, potential harm to marine species and challenges in verifying results.
Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) Vice Chancellor Prof Laila Abubakar said the increase of carbon dioxide emissions has greatly contributed to climate change patterns in the coastal region of Kenya. She urged young scientists to be on the forefront to conserve and protect the ocean
TUM researcher Dr Mariam Swaleh who leads the Ocean Climate Innovation Hub Kenya said rising ocean temperatures have disrupted marine life and local economies.
“When the Ocean chokes, the people who depend on it also choke. Fish migrate to cooler waters leaving African fishermen with little to catch,” she said.
Prof Matt Long, an American scientist with the non-profit organization Sea Worthy, said the world cannot meet its climate goals by reducing emissions alone.
“We must also actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the ocean," he said noting that humanity emits about 40 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Prof Long said Africa, though contributing little to global emissions, could benefit economically by developing mCDR projects, but only if scientific, policy and governance frameworks allow local communities to share in the gains.
"Now is the time to build the scientific and policy capacity to implement these technologies,” he said. “They will be urgently needed in the next 20 to 30 years.”
