The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Horn of Africa, east Africa, southern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean. The ESARO region is extremely rich in biodiversity with a high number of endemic species and the largest remaining populations of iconic wildlife left on the continent. ESARO’s Programme focuses on biodiversity conservation through a diverse portfolio of projects and programmatic initiatives ranging from activities at the level of individual protected areas to shaping regional policy on biodiversity conservation. ESARO defines and delivers on its programmatic priorities in collaboration with IUCN members, commissions and other strategic partners.

The Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) Programme is responsible for marine and coastal issues, including biodiversity conservation, development and management of marine protected areas, other effective conservation measures (OECMs) and their networks, blue economy, ecosystem and fisheries management, High Seas, blue carbon, marine spatial planning, marine pollution, integrated management and governance of coastal areas, adaptation to climate change and disasters risks reduction.

To accelerate and scale up efforts in the region towards coastal and ocean resilience, IUCN has been coordinating efforts, together with countries and partners, to develop the Great Blue Wall initiative.

The Great Blue Wall is a Western Indian Ocean (WIO)-born, Africa-driven roadmap to achieve a nature positive world by 2030. It aims at unlocking unprecedented nature-based recovery efforts through the establishment of a transformational movement. Its goal is to dramatically accelerate and upscale ocean conservation actions while enhancing socio-ecological resilience and the development of a regenerative blue economy by catalyzing political leadership and financial support. This will be achieved by spearheading the establishment of a connected network of nature-people positive seascapes (or regenerative seascapes). This network of seascapes will act as a regional ecological corridor formed by conserved and restored critical blue ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrasses and corals. While the Great Blue Wall will act as a bulwark against climate change impacts and biodiversity loss, it will also shelter coastal communities and create the enabling conditions and necessary mechanisms to empower local stakeholders to become stewards of the ocean while accelerating the development of a regenerative blue economy. The Great Blue Wall is an action-focused and action-driven regional response to address three interconnected development agendas, i.e. Biodiversity – Climate – Socioeconomic transformation with three clear objectives to be achieved by 2030:

• Effectively and equitably conserve at least 30% of the ocean by 2030;
• Conserve and restore at least 2m ha of critical blue ecosystems to achieve net-gain by 2030;
• Unlock the development of a regenerative blue economy that directly benefits coastal communities while also delivering conservation outcomes.

To guide its development, implementation and to achieve its goals, the COR programme is based on the premises of IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa’s Blue Resilience Programme Framework, composed of three key pillars and one cross-cutting: Blue Planet, Blue Nature, Blue People and Blue Partnerships. The Blue Resilience Framework aims at structuring IUCN’s interventions in the region and build resilience at ocean and seascape level and can be described as follows:

Three key pillars:
Blue Planet: As the world embarks on an ambitious journey of conservation and protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, it is of paramount importance to ensure that such target is not only achieved on paper but importantly on the ground by empowering local stakeholders to become stewards and managers of the ocean. This pillar focuses on this effort by supporting the establishment of relevant governance frameworks at seascape level and the necessary enabling policy frameworks at national, regional and international levels. It also focuses on increasing the effectiveness and equity of area-based conservation measures.

Blue Nature: Like any living organism, a seascape has its own critical features (or “organs”) that need to be protected and restored (or “healed”) if the rest of the seascape is to stay healthy. This pillar therefore focuses on securing the integrity of critical ecosystems by accelerating and upscaling the restoration and conservation of critical blue ecosystems by driving the implementation at scale of Nature-based Solutions.

Blue People: For a large-scale seascape to thrive and be effectively managed, it is of paramount importance that stakeholders directly benefit from these areas and from ocean conservation efforts. To achieve the scale of impact required, it is crucial that economic activities are not only sustainable and produce socio-economic benefits but also contribute to the regeneration of the ocean. This pillar therefore focuses on unlocking the potential of our blue natural capital by supporting the development of a regenerative blue economy.

1 cross-cutting:
Blue Partnerships: Because overcoming today’s challenges will require all parties to join forces, and for conservation efforts to be sustainable and impactful at scale, innovative and ambitious partnerships will be a critical piece of the solution. Setting-up such types of partnerships is IUCN’s DNA. Areas of work include innovative finance, technology and communication, broader ecosystem of partners, coalition building, and knowledge and experience sharing.

ABOUT THE ROLE;

The Regenerative Blue Finance and Entrepreneurship Officer (RBFEO) will drive the implementation of blue finance and Entrepreneurship within the Great Blue Wall Initiative (GBWI) at the regional level, supporting people and nature-positive agendas across the pillars of sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem resilience, and restoration. Reporting to the Regional Regenerative Blue Economy Manager, the Officer will oversee the management of IUCN’s Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR) program, ensuring alignment with blue finance and innovation objectives and supporting the incubation of regenerative blue economy ventures, SMEs, and start-ups.

ROLE DESCRIPTION;

The RBFEO will drive the implementation of blue finance and innovation for the Great Blue Wall Initiative (GBWI) at the regional level in pursuit of the people and nature-positive agenda. The Regional Blue Finance & Innovation Officer will drive the implementation of blue finance and entrepreneurship for the Great Blue Wall Initiative (GBWI) at the regional level. Reporting to the Regional Regenerative Blue Economy Manager, this role contributes to strategic direction, priority-setting, and marine and coastal engagement across the region, supporting the GBWI’s pillars of sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem resilience, and restoration.
A key focus of the GBWI is fostering local livelihoods through blue SMEs, start-ups, and grassroots ventures. This position will help channel investments to support the development of a regenerative blue economy, ensuring that financial efforts contribute not only to economic expansion but also to the sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems. The Regional Blue Finance & Innovation Officer will oversee the management of IUCN’s Coastal and Ocean Resilience programme activities that advance innovation in blue finance. This includes supporting the co-development of the Great Blue Wall Financing Facility, building a pipeline of bankable projects, and fostering engagement with the private sector and financial institutions as needed.
Additionally, the role will pioneer blue finance mechanisms such as blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps, essential for supporting coastal communities facing climate challenges. The officer will also advise on regulatory frameworks to enhance blue financing and strengthen regional value chains, ensuring local ventures generate economic benefits while preserving marine ecosystems.
The Officer will also play a key role in coordinating and incubating regenerative ventures at the grassroots level, enhancing both local and regional business models, integrating innovative practices, and strengthening value chains to ensure that sustainable ventures generate significant economic benefits for local communities while preserving marine ecosystems. This role would be key in translating the Great Blue Wall’s financial vision into actionable strategies for securing and deploying capital for blue livelihoods projects. Coordinate across seascape-level, national, regional and continental actors on blue entrepreneurship to ensure impact, coherence and alignment with priorities.
Thus, through the deployment of context-relevant blue finance, the Regenerative Blue Finance and Entrepreneurship Officer will build a supportive environment for blue economy venture incubation, ensuring the ventures rest on a resilient and diversified regenerative blue economy foundation. This role will also facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting ventures that promote sustainable and equitable blue food systems. By actively engaging with regional and national stakeholders, the Officer will guarantee that the supported ventures align with the broader regenerative blue economy agenda, ultimately contributing to the conservation and restoration of vital marine and coastal ecosystems.

IMPLEMENTATION AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT;

Support the development of a comprehensive portfolio of gender-sensitive blue finance projects encompassing grants, investments, blended finance mechanisms as well as seascape and community focused impact/ equity investments, microgrants, inter alia.
Manage and monitor portfolio of financial support mechanisms and tools for grassroots, community-led ventures and startups, tracking their performance, focusing on community empowerment, ecological benefits and innovation outcomes.
dentify and mitigate risks and support efforts to derisk seascape and community driven venture building.
Identify and support high-potential regenerative blue economy SMEs and start-ups in the region, providing support to unlock relevant streams of finance
Provide technical guidance on financing solutions to GBW needs and requirements, partners, communities and relevant stakeholders and drive thought leadership on innovative financing models that prioritise community and grassroots impact, nature-positive outcomes, private sector development and climate resilience.

STRATEGIC AND TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP;

Explore and mobilise multi-level funding mechanisms targeting nature-based solutions, ecosystem restoration and regenerative blue economy development.
Work with the Great Blue Wall team to support the development, preparation and incubation of nature-positive blue micro, small and medium entreprises (mSMEs) and start-ups, aligned with the broader goals of the initiative to unlock nature-based solutions within target seascapes and regionally, with a focus on community-level impact and home-grown solutions to achieve coastal and marine ecosystem conservation and regeneration as well as livelihood outcomes, ensuring sustainability planning in the process. Advise on emerging blue finance opportunities to drive investment in ocean sustainability, engaging with stakeholders across sectors, and providing strategic direction to build a blue financing ecosystem supporting the regenerative blue economy, including through blue finance mechanisms such as blue bonds, debt-for nature swaps etc.
Support the co-development of the Great Blue Wall Financing Facility aligned with ecosystem restoration and sustainable blue livelihoods.
n collaboration with the IUCN Ocean team, identify and implement strategic initiatives to support the integration of best practices and learning to global and regional platforms in support of agenda-setting and action to empower country-readiness towards the Great Blue Wall initiative.

COORDINATION AND EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT;

Cultivate a network of robust and collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem. This network should encompass private sector actors blue economy entrepreneurs, investors, consumers, policymakers, and research institutions as well as financial institutions, blue finance clusters, and impact investors and mechanisms such as the Blue Nature Capital and Financing Facility (BNCFF)

Support engagement with private sector actors and forge strategic partnerships between the GBWI team, government agencies, NGOs, and research institutions working on venture development, coastal and marine ecosystem management, and the regenerative blue economy within the GBW region. This may involve co-developing project proposals, facilitating knowledge exchange, and leveraging partner expertise to maximise impact.
Foster a vibrant knowledge-sharing network and spearhead capacity-building initiatives to empower entrepreneurs with the necessary skillsets and knowledge on coastal and marine ecosystem conservation and regeneration. This could involve organising workshops, training programs, and exchange visits to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and best practice sharing.
in consultation with the Regional Head, Coastal and Ocean Resilience ensure that IUCN is adequately represented in relevant international, regional, and country fora and facilitate discussions on blue entrepreneurship to position IUCN as a reference in the Eastern and Southern Africa region.

COMMUNICATION, OUTREACH AND RESOURCE MOBILISATION;

Support the development and dissemination of informative communication materials to increase information and awareness on blue finance, community-led ocean solutions, entrepreneurship and the Great Blue Wall’s mission.
Work with the team to draft compelling narratives that effectively communicate the positive contributions of regenerative blue entrepreneurs and ventures to economic transformation and ocean health within the GBW region. These narratives can be used to engage a wide range of audiences, from policymakers and donors to consumers and local communities.
As appropriate contribute to resource mobilisation activities, including through development of concepts and projects documents;
Contribute to establishing, maintaining and nurturing good relationships with donors, funding agencies and other technical partners to ensure the financial viability of the regenerative blue entrepreneurship area of work in the COR programme;

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT;

Provide leadership and expertise in managing and coordinating regenerative blue entrepreneurship and venture-building projects undertaken by the GBWI team, including the delivery of a blue venture impact assignment under the ReSea project. This may involve developing project timelines, budgets, and work plans, assigning tasks to team members, and overseeing project implementation to ensure successful completion.
Engage with the World Economic Forum (World Economic Forum) on the delivery of regenerative blue economy ventures and the 1000 Ocean Start-ups Initiative.
Develop compelling project proposals and budgets to secure and unlock funding for blue entrepreneurship initiatives from donors, foundations, and international development agencies. Proposals should clearly articulate the project’s objectives, methodology, expected impact, and alignment with GBWI’s strategic goals.
Closely monitor and evaluate project progress, ensuring successful implementation and achievement of set goals. This may involve collecting and analysing data, identifying challenges, and making adjustments to project activities as needed to maximise impact.
In collaboration with the Regional Manager, Regenerative Blue Economy, ensure IUCN’s work is accountable to donors and other stakeholders through the establishment and management of effective accountability mechanisms and processes;
Contribute to progress tracking and programme reporting processes and requirements.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES;

Perform other duties as may be assigned from time to time.