Look out for our New Addition to the IOI Ocean Academy Programme: The global outreach of the IOI Ocean Academy continues to grow with another new node offering courses out of Togo in the Ewe language. A big welcome to IOI Alumnus (South Africa, 2024) Kwami AGBETOSSOU, who will direct and offer these modules. The dates for the first module will be announced soon on the IOI Ocean Academy webpage.
In the meantime, REGISTER NOW for the next IOI Ocean Academy online modules offered free of charge in Spanish and French by our global partners in Costa Rica and Morocco respectively.
Visit the IOI Ocean Academy webpage for more information, and to check out other learning opportunities open for application from time to time.
The swaying of the sea: the formation
and behaviour of the tides
Spanish
5 - 30 August 2025
Ocean Literacy for the benefit of
French-speaking West African countries
bordering the Atlantic Ocean
French/Moroccan dialect
14 October - 13 November 2025
Successful delivery of ten IOI Ocean Academy modules completed over the last two months with over 400 participants completing the modules delivered in Urdu, Swahili, Thai, Dhivehi, Hindi, Spanish, Georgian, Ukrainian and Dutch by our global partners.
Hearty congratulations go to the untiring IOI Ocean Academy Directors globally, who, with passion and commitment, create and deliver interesting and relevant content to enrich local and regional ocean literacy directly within their local communities, removing barriers to knowledge access by using local languages and local expertise and exchange to support community and personal growth and positive change in favour of the ocean and ocean action.
- PAKISTAN: Navigating Pakistan's Blue Frontier for Economic, Environmental and Social Prosperity, 16-27 June; Urdu & English
- KENYA: Marine Ecosystem Services and their Role in Sustaining Coastal Livelihoods in Kenya, 26 May - 6 June, Swahili
- THAILAND: Ocean Literacy:
- Ocean and Man, 21 April - 2 May, Thai
- Ocean crisis: Thai sea crisis, 13-26 May, Thai
- MALDIVES: Atolls and Reefs of Maldives: Sustaining this fragile environment and the living resources within, 4 - 15 May; Dhivehi
- SINGAPORE (Hindi): The Ocean, Our Source of Life and Livelihood, 3 - 12 May; Hindi
- MEXICO: Sustainable Fishing and Resilient Communities, 29 April - 27 May; Spanish
- GEORGIA: Ocean Literacy in Schools: Creating Ocean Literacy Content and Enhancing Pupil Engagement; 11 April - 3 May; Georgian
- UKRAINE: Sustainable Coastal Tourism Development and Ocean Governance, 8 April - 1 May, Ukrainian
- SURINAME: Ocean Literacy and Governance, 4 April - 6 May; Dutch
Some feedback from the participants - in their own words:
“De leerstof was helder, ik heb heel veel geleerd tijdens de cursus. Informatie die ik goed genoeg wil gebruiken voor een duurzamer beheer van wateren. De informatie wil ik gebruiken om gemeenschappen bewuster te maken over het beheer van oceanen.”
The course material was clear, I learned a lot during the course. Information that I want to use well enough for a more sustainable management of waters. I want to use the information to make communities more aware of the management of oceans.
Rakesh Joghi (Suriname)
“ძალიან ინფორმაციული კურსი იყო და ძალიან ბევრი იდეა გამიჩნდა თუ როგორ გამოვიყენო ეს მიღებული ცოდნა სასკოლო პრაქტიკაში და საგაკვეთილო პროცესში”
It was a very informative course and I came up with many ideas on how to use this knowledge in school practice and the teaching process.
ელენე ტეფნაძე (Georgia)
“From this program I understood a lot information that is very useful in my future and it was a very big opportunity to learn more about marine life and environment.”
Zaheer Easa (Maldives)
“Nilipata uelewa wa kina kuhusu umuhimu wa mazingira ya baharini katika nyanja za kiikolojia, kiuchumi na kijamii. Kozi hii ilinisaidia kuelewa jinsi jamii za pwani zinavyotegemea rasilimali za baharini kwa ajili ya maisha yao ya kila siku, na pia iliangazia mbinu endelevu za uhifadhi na usimamizi. Kupitia mijadala na mifano halisi, nilithamini zaidi umuhimu wa kusawazisha kati ya ulinzi wa mazingira na maendeleo ya binadamu katika maeneo ya pwani.”
I gained a deeper understanding of the ecological, economic and social importance of the marine environment. The course helped me understand how coastal communities depend on marine resources for their daily lives, and also highlighted sustainable conservation and management approaches. Through discussions and real-life examples, I gained a greater appreciation for the importance of balancing environmental protection with human development in coastal areas.
Hamad Ali Hamad (Kenya)
Directors’ News from the IOI Ocean Academy Network:
IOI Ocean Academy Director (Morocco) Karim Hilmi was invited to speak at the 2025 African Scientific Conference on Advancing the Blue Economy in Africa, (5-6 May) in Mombasa Kenya. He spoke about "In situ observation and prediction in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem", as well as about the IOI Ocean Academy Programme particularly in Morocco, and the UNESCO Partenariat Programme for ECOP Morocco coordinated by Karim Hilmi in Morocco.