Africa’s Blue Cities Building Resilience in a Time of Climate Change

PART ONE: Introduction, Regional Overview and Comparative Cities. Introduction, Donald L. Sparks 2. Regional Issues: Climate Change, Aquatic Ecosystems and Livelihoods in the Gulf of Guinea: A Review, Angela Manekuor Lamptey 3. Coastal Climate Trends and Environmental Impacts in four African Cities: Dakar, Luanda, Maputo and Taolagnaro, Mark R. Jury PART TWO: Case Studies from SIDS 4. Blue Crimes and Oceanic Insecurity in African Indian Ocean Small Island Developing States, Jade Lindley and Dhiyaul Aulia Huda 5. Island Urbanism and the Blue economy: Rethinking Victoria's Coastal Future, Sylvanna Antha and Jennifer Appoo 6. The Port of Port-Louis: Its Pivotal Role in Mauritian Blue Economy Development in the Midst of Climate Change, Riad Sultan and D. Vina Ballgobin PART THREE: Case Studies from Mainland Africa. Eastern Africa 7. Djibouti’s Blue Economy: Making the Most of its Limited Ocean Space, Vivian Louis Forbes 8. Tides and Traffic: Rethinking Urban Mobility in Mombasa, Kenya Through the Lens of Swahili Urbanism, Dorcas Nthoki Nyamai 9. Building Policy Coherence for Blue Economy in Blue Cities: A Case Study of Dar Es Salaam City, Francis Aron Mwaijande. Southern Africa 10. Between Two Currents: Cape Town’s Pursuit of Being a Climate-responsive Blue City, Melissa Strydom, Anél du Plessis and Susan Knox-Mosdell 11. Food Sovereignty in a Time of Climate Change: The Case for Urban Small-scale Fishers in Durban, South Africa, Kira Erwin, Taryn Pereira Kaplan and John-Peter Narayanasamy 12. Durban as a Blue City: Legal and Policy Dimensions of Climate Resilience in a Coastal Metropolis, Dusty-Lee Donnelly, Vishal Surbun, Sanele Gumede and Melissa Strydom 13. Swakopmund as a Blue City: Pathways to Resilience and Circular Development in Coastal Namibia, Philip Mensah. Western Africa 14. Nigeria’s Blue Economy Contributors: Port Lagos and Port Harcourt Complexes, Vivian Louis Forbes 15. Opportunities and Challenges for Blue Economy in Ghana: Examining Two Coastal Cities, Costanza Franceschini and Carola Hein PART FOUR: Cross-Cutting Themes and Conclusion 16. Building Blue Cities Resilience Through an SDGs Lens, Erika Techera and Jamal Hassan 17. Conclusion , Donald L. Sparks

Biography

Donald L. Sparks is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, United Kingdom, Visiting Professor of International Economics at the Management Center Innsbruck, Austria, and Emeritus Professor of International Economics at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, USA (where he was named MBA Professor-of-the-Year three times). He also serves on the board of directors of the Charleston Council for International Visitors. Dr Sparks was a Senior Consulting Associate in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the US Department of State during the Obama Administration. He has been a Fulbright Professor of Economics at the University of Eswatini, the University of Maribor, Slovenia and at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was also a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the University of Eswatini, at the African Union Commission’s Department of Economic Affairs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the National University of Laos. He was the Department Chairman and Visiting Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo in 2000–01. Hs is a member of the IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy and Chatham House. Dr Sparks has published widely, including authoring the ‘Economic Trends’ chapter in Africa South of the Sahara (Routledge) for each edition for the past 37 years. His latest two books are The Blue Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Working for a Sustainable Future and Southern Africa’s Blue Economy: Regional Cooperation for Sustained Development (2021 and 2023, respectively, Routledge). He received his BA from the George Washington University and his MA and PhD from SOAS, University of London.

‘Africa’s Blue Cities brings together leading scholars and practitioners to highlight how coastal and island cities across the continent can adapt and thrive in the face of accelerating climate pressures. Thought‑provoking and forward‑looking, the book serves as a timely and strategic resource for policymakers, researchers, urban planners, and anyone committed to building resilient coastal futures across the continent. This book is certainly a must-read and share for a wide range of audience!’

Francis K. E. Nunoo, Professor of Fisheries Science. Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana

 

‘Africa’s Blue Cities is based on a number of rich case studies on the continent and this makes this book so insightful. The authors expertly discuss the tough task of countries facing climate crisis and having to foster sustainable development. The discussion on the various responses is commendable! A must read book for those interested on geography, climatic change and sustainable development.’

Boopen Seetanah Professor, University of Mauritius, and Co-Chair of the WTO Chair Programme

 

‘Africa's Blue Cities adopts a multidisciplinary approach to rethinking urban development in coastal and island contexts. Its integration of sustainability, ocean governance, climate resilience, and socio-economic transformation makes it particularly relevant to recent debates on the blue economy and just transitions.’

Dr Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur, Associate Professor in Economics and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Mauritius

 

‘Africa’s Blue Cities offers a richly grounded, policy-relevant analysis of how ports, fisheries, informal livelihoods, and urban governance collide with sea-level rise, climate shocks, and inequality. The volume’s contributors prove that climate adaptation in Africa’s major cities, ranging from Lagos to Cape Town, are inseparable from questions of social justice and equitable access to the blue economy.’

Blake C. Scott, PhD, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of International Studies, College of Charleston