The Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) has announced the appointment of Karen Sumser-Lupson, expert in ocean governance, maritime security, and blue-green finance, and founder and principal of 751.Earth, as its international ambassador.
Sumser-Lupson, with a PhD in geographical sciences, has over 35 years of experience in ocean governance, maritime security, and blue-green finance.
Piriye Kiyaramo, convener and chief executive of Africa Blue Economy Roundtable (ABER) said he has implicit confidence in Sumser-Lupson’s ability to bring to bear her global expertise in blue economy on the mandate of ABER.
Sumser-Lupson began her career on the frontlines of maritime search and rescue and later earned a PhD in geographical sciences from the University of Plymouth, specializing in maritime security and environmental protection.
For more than three decades, she has worked with African member states to transform maritime aspirations into strategies, laws, and investments.
She contributed to key instruments including the AU African Maritime Transport Charter and the Lomé Charter on Maritime Safety and Security, with extensive work across West, Central, and East Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea and the wider Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions.
Kiyaramo announced Sumser-Lupson’s appointment during an engagement with travel writers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, over the weekend.
The meeting also focused on the role of media in implementing the Africa Union Blue Economy Strategy (AUBES) and mobilizing public support ahead of the next phase of ABER’s continental programs.
Akpekwu Imbufe, the South-South coordinator of the BRACED Travel Writers Corps, an arm of BRACED Tourism Promotion & Development Initiative and editor of Blue Economy newsmagazine Abuja, emphasized the role of media in Nigeria’s implementation of the blue economy politics.
“By humanizing the blue economy, we translate complex policies into stories that resonate. We tell the stories of fisherfolk in the Gulf of Guinea, women seaweed farmers in Zanzibar, and eco-tour operators in Seychelles. In doing this, policy becomes personal, and the narrative shifts from ‘oceans as dumping grounds’ to ‘oceans as Africa’s next engine for jobs, food, and climate resilience’,” Imbufe said.
Till date, Nigeria’s massive blue economy potential worth over $196 billion is yet untapped.
Kiyaramo noted that partnerships with media and travel writers are critical to ABER’s mandate of dialogue, deal-making, and delivery.
Commenting on Karen, he said, “as founder of 751.Earth — “7 Continents, 5 Oceans, 1 Mission: Life on Earth”, Karen now leads efforts to unlock climate finance for developing states, particularly through Green Climate Fund-aligned portfolios.
She currently oversees a pipeline of approximately USD1 billion in projects focused on decarbonization, coastal resilience, and creating dignified livelihoods in vulnerable communities, with strong emphasis on co-creation with African partners.
In her new role, Karen will support ABER’s vision of an inclusive, secure, and climate-resilient blue economy by connecting African leadership, global climate finance, and practical, bankable solutions aligned with Agenda 2063 and AUBES.
“Dr. Karen embodies the bridge ABER seeks to build, from African priorities to global capital, and from policy to delivery,” Piriye Kiyaramo said. “Her credibility and commitment to African agency will help us turn the Blue Economy into jobs and prosperity for Africa’s 300 million coastal citizens.”
Africa’s coastal areas sit on $2.5 trillion blue economy assets, largely unharnessed.
The Africa Blue Economy Roundtable is a continental platform that convenes governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society to accelerate the sustainable and inclusive growth of Africa’s blue and green economy through dialogue, deal-making, and delivery.
