CASE STUDY 5 Product and technology innovation for circularity and waste 1 Insect bioconversion of fish waste by Entobel (Vietnam)63 Conventional processing discards heads, bones and offcuts that still hold 30-70% of nutritional value, while organic waste often pollutes local environments. Entobel uses black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to convert fish trimmings and food waste into high-quality insect protein and oil, with residual frass used as fertilizer. The process recovers 65-75% of organic biomass as usable inputs and significantly reduces environmental impacts. With simple rearing systems suitable for low- resource settings, this model offers scalable, circular waste solutions for Africa.2 Smart gear recovery and circular nets by Blue Ocean Gear (USA)64 Lost or abandoned fishing gear makes up about 10% of global marine plastic pollution and continues to trap marine life for years. Blue Ocean Gear developed smart buoys with GPS tracking that alert fishers to lost gear for quick recovery. Retrieved nets are recycled into nylon or biodegradable alternatives, reducing ghost fishing (lost or abandoned fishing gear that continues to catch and kill marine animals unintentionally), marine pollution and equipment loss. With suitable adaptation, this technology could strengthen gear management for small-scale fleets in West Africa. 4.3 Global examples offer promise for Africa’s blue food transformation High-level, multi-stakeholder action is essential to drive scale While proven innovations show measurable impact, large-scale transformation requires coordinated, multi-stakeholder collaboration that links policy, investment and industry. The World Economic Forum has been advancing such collaboration globally through the Food Innovation Hubs Global Initiative, a model further explored in the Forum’s report Mainstreaming Food Innovation: A Roadmap for Stakeholders, developed in collaboration with BCG. The Food Innovation Hubs are cooperation models that bring together public and private actors, civil society, innovators and other stakeholders to form unusual partnerships that can de-risk innovation and align financing, infrastructure and policy support. For Africa, the hubs represent a platform to catalyse blue food transformation – connecting governments, investors and entrepreneurs to global networks of knowledge, technology and capital while tailoring solutions to local needs. This model offers a ready framework for the kind of system-wide cooperation needed to unlock the continent’s blue foods potential. Global examples show how multi-stakeholder alignment can accelerate sector-wide change. Below are three case studies from China, Indonesia and New Zealand that illustrate the strategic impact of such collaboration. Food Innovation Hubs can catalyse Africa’s blue food transformation – connecting governments, investors and entrepreneurs to global networks. Investing in Blue Foods: Innovation and Partnerships for Impact 21

Investing in Blue Foods 2026