OPONE and Lag-Badana Community Conservancy Trust Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Somalia’s Blue Economy and Coastal Conservation
Mogadishu, Somalia | July 2026
OPONE and the Lag-Badana Community Conservancy Trust (LBCCT) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), establishing a strategic partnership dedicated to advancing sustainable coastal development, ocean stewardship, and community-led conservation across Somalia.
The partnership brings together two organizations with complementary strengths and a shared vision for the future of Somalia’s coast. It connects OPONE, a Blue Economy enterprise headquartered in Mogadishu, with the Lag-Badana Community Conservancy Trust, a community-based conservation organization headquartered in Badhaadhe District, Lower Jubba, Jubbaland. Together, the two organizations will combine private sector innovation with community-driven conservation to promote healthier marine ecosystems, resilient coastal livelihoods, and sustainable Blue Economy growth.
A Partnership Connecting Somalia’s Coast
Although based in different parts of the country, OPONE and LBCCT share a common belief that Somalia’s coastline is one of the nation’s greatest natural and economic assets.
OPONE works to promote sustainable fisheries, market access, Blue Economy enterprise development, ocean innovation, and responsible ocean stewardship. Through collaboration and investment, the organization seeks to unlock opportunities that create lasting value for coastal communities while supporting the sustainable use of marine resources.
The Lag-Badana Community Conservancy Trust works directly with communities in Badhaadhe, Lower Jubba, to conserve biodiversity, protect mangrove ecosystems, strengthen environmental stewardship, and promote community-led conservation initiatives. Its work recognizes that local communities are the primary custodians of Somalia’s coastal ecosystems and play a vital role in protecting them for future generations.
By connecting a national Blue Economy enterprise with a locally rooted conservation organization, this partnership creates a stronger foundation for delivering practical solutions that benefit both people and nature.
A Shared Vision for Somalia’s Blue Economy
Somalia possesses Africa’s longest mainland coastline, extending more than 3,300 kilometres along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This vast marine environment supports abundant fisheries, mangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass habitats, coastal forests, and globally significant biodiversity.
These resources also provide food security, employment, and livelihoods for thousands of Somali families while offering enormous potential for sustainable investment, maritime trade, tourism, research, and innovation.
However, many coastal ecosystems continue to face increasing pressure from habitat degradation, climate change, illegal exploitation of marine resources, pollution, and limited investment in conservation and sustainable coastal development. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration across government institutions, local communities, the private sector, civil society, academia, and development partners.
This partnership reflects the belief that environmental conservation and economic development are not competing priorities but complementary goals that must advance together.
Building Stronger Coastal Communities
A central objective of the partnership is to strengthen the resilience of Somalia’s coastal communities. Healthy oceans support healthy communities. Likewise, empowered communities are essential for protecting healthy oceans.
Through joint initiatives, OPONE and LBCCT aim to support community participation in marine conservation, encourage sustainable fisheries, strengthen local capacity, promote environmental education, and create opportunities that improve livelihoods while safeguarding natural resources.
The partnership recognizes that long-term conservation can only succeed when communities benefit directly from protecting the ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend.
Advancing Ocean Stewardship
The Memorandum of Understanding establishes a framework for collaboration across several strategic areas that contribute to sustainable coastal development.
These include:
☑️ Ocean stewardship and responsible marine resource management
☑️ Mangrove conservation and ecosystem restoration
☑️ Sustainable fisheries development
☑️ Community-led conservation initiatives
☑️ Blue Economy enterprise development
☑️ Climate resilience and nature-based solutions
☑️ Capacity building and environmental education
☑️ Research, innovation, and knowledge exchange
☑️ Strategic partnerships and resource mobilization
Together, these areas of cooperation will support practical initiatives that improve environmental health while creating opportunities for inclusive economic growth.
Protecting Mangroves for Future Generations
Mangrove ecosystems are among Somalia’s most valuable coastal resources. They provide nursery habitats for fish, protect shorelines from erosion, improve water quality, capture significant amounts of carbon, and support biodiversity that is essential for healthy marine ecosystems.
Recognizing their ecological and economic importance, OPONE and LBCCT will work together to promote mangrove conservation through restoration activities, community awareness programmes, ecological monitoring, and collaborative initiatives that strengthen long-term ecosystem resilience.
Protecting these ecosystems today contributes directly to stronger fisheries, healthier coastlines, and more resilient communities tomorrow.
Turning Conservation into Opportunity
The Blue Economy represents one of Somalia’s greatest opportunities for sustainable national development. When managed responsibly, ocean resources can generate employment, strengthen food security, stimulate entrepreneurship, attract investment, and improve the well-being of coastal communities while protecting the environment.
Through this partnership, OPONE and LBCCT seek to demonstrate that conservation and economic opportunity can reinforce one another.
By promoting sustainable fisheries, supporting responsible enterprise development, encouraging innovation, and strengthening community participation, the partnership aims to contribute to a resilient and inclusive Blue Economy that benefits both present and future generations.
Looking Ahead
The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration built on shared values, mutual respect, and a common commitment to Somalia’s coastal future.Both organizations look forward to developing joint programmes, exchanging knowledge, mobilising partnerships, and implementing initiatives that create measurable environmental, social, and economic impact.
As Somalia continues to unlock the potential of its ocean economy, partnerships such as this demonstrate the value of bringing together enterprise, conservation, and community leadership to build a more sustainable future.
Together, OPONE and the Lag-Badana Community Conservancy Trust remain committed to protecting Somalia’s coastal ecosystems, empowering coastal communities, and advancing a Blue Economy that creates lasting prosperity for generations to come.
Where Ocean Meets Opportunity.
