Investing in Blue Foods 2026

Images: Adobe Stock This material has been funded by UK International Development from the government of the United Kingdom. However, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies. Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2026 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 Introduction 5 1 The blue foods opportunity and its potential for Africa 6 1.1 Blue food systems are significant and expanding 6 1.2 Globally and in Africa, blue foods offer powerful benefits 7 1.3 Closing Africa’s protein gap through blue foods 7 2 Challenges facing blue food systems 10 2.1 Challenges limiting blue foods’ ability 10 to scale up are amplified in Africa’s context 2.2 Blue food challenges compounded 12 by a limited enabling environment 3 Risks of unmanaged growth and the imperative for safeguards 13 3.1 As Africa scales up blue foods, safeguards are needed 13 4 Innovation can unlock blue foods’ potential 15 4.1 Three categories of innovation play critical roles 15 4.2 Innovators are already rethinking key challenges 18 – with potential applications for Africa 4.3 Global examples offer promise for Africa’s 21 blue food transformation Conclusion 25 Appendix: Methodologies 27 Contributors 31 Endnotes 33 Investing in Blue Foods: Innovation and Partnerships for Impact 2