A workshop underway at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation is seeking to promote sustainable development of the continent’s blue economy.

Secretary General of the 25-year-old UN  International Seabed Authority (ISA) Michael Lodge says in addition to oil there are vastly more mineral riches on the seabed than under the surface on dry land.

But Africa hasn’t even explored what rightly belongs to it.

“Africa is the only regional group that has not yet taken full advantage of the provisions of the convention to take part in deep sea mineral exploration,” he says.

Lodge adds exploration is a complex and costly business but it’s vital for Africa to draw on its own expertise and international assistance to discover what it has in store.

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