African leaders from countries bordering Indian Ocean gather in Jakarta for IORA meeting
Leaders from African countries lying along the Indian Ocean are gathered in Jakarta for the 20th session of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), where they will discuss ways of using the ocean to revitalize their economies.
The Association is a brainchild of former South African leader Nelson Mandela, who championed closer cooperation among countries on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
President Jacob Zuma is already in the Indonesian capital ahead of the meeting, and is scheduled to meet his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Wednesday.
As the world’s third largest ocean, the Indian Ocean is a lifeline to international trade producing goods and services worth over R13 trillion and accounts for half of the world’s shipping cargo.
At least 21 coastal countries including South Africa along with Mauritius, Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Australia and Indonesia advocated for the Indian Ocean Rim Association in 1995, and although not binding, the association brings together all countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
Although not much is said about economic activities in the sea, the vast oceans present huge economic benefits from fishing to trade.
