Action For Ocean
Action For Ocean is a Tanzanian nonprofit that restores coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass while building sustainable blue-economy livelihoods — especially for women seaweed farmers — through fisheries co-management, the CLEAR Model, Tanzania DiveLab, and the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersDar Es Salaam, Tanzania
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Action For Ocean does
Action For Ocean (AFO), formerly Aqua-Farms Organization, is a Tanzanian nonprofit marine conservation organization founded in 2016 by 13 University of Dar es Salaam undergraduate students and headquartered in Dar es Salaam. AFO works directly with coastal communities across Tanzania's 1,424-km coastline to restore marine ecosystems (coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass), strengthen fisheries co-management through Beach Management Units and Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas, and build inclusive blue-economy livelihoods — particularly for women seaweed farmers — through a portfolio of interconnected programs.
Its core programmatic assets are the Matumbawe Hai community-anchored coral restoration model, the CLEAR Model (Coastal Livelihood Entrepreneurship for Adaptation and Resilience) which links community-based finance with digital traceability, the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF) targeting USD 50 million in blended finance for 25,000 women seaweed farmers, and the Tanzania DiveLab — Tanzania's first locally-operated NGO PADI Educational Facility, producing a pipeline of certified professional divers. AFO also operates mangrove restoration (287,240 mangroves planted), fisheries governance support across 69 co-management communities covering 367,500 hectares, Village Savings and Loan Associations, the Sus Blue Shop value-chain initiative, and a Women Water Watch citizen-science program with the University of Antwerp.
AFO is funded primarily through international grants and donations (Segal Family Foundation, Livelihood Impact Fund, Judith Neilson Foundation, SDG Finance Initiative, Convergence Blended Finance, USAID Heshimu Bahari, OCEAN Grant Programme, Whole Foods Market Foundation, Rufford Foundation, 1% for the Planet, and others) and generates emerging revenue streams from blue carbon credit development, PADI certification fees, and blended finance intermediation. The organization operates across offices in Dar es Salaam, Kilwa, Tanga, Mafia Island, and Pemba, and is led by Executive Director Jerry Mang'ena and Co-founder/Technical Advisor Nancy Iraba.
Action For Ocean firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Action For Ocean
- Legal name
- Action For Ocean
- Website
- https://afo.or.tz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Action For Ocean is a Tanzanian nonprofit that restores coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass while building sustainable blue-economy livelihoods — especially for women seaweed farmers — through fisheries co-management, the CLEAR Model, Tanzania DiveLab, and the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Action For Ocean industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marine Conservation Services
- NAICS
- Aquaculture (11251)
- SIC
- Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture (AFAEAAAH), Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK), Ocean-Based Carbon Removal (Alkalinity Enhancement, Seaweed, Ocean Biomass Sinking) (EUABAFAF), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)
Keywords
Where Action For Ocean is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dar Es Salaam
- HQ country
- Tanzania
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices5 records
Markets served
Action For Ocean business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Grants and Donations: AFO operates primarily as a non-profit organization funded through international grants, foundation support, and donations. Major funders include Segal Family Foundation, Livelihood Impact Fund, Judith Neilson Foundation, and others supporting conservation and community development.
- Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF): Blended finance facility mobilizing $50 million USD targeting 25,000 women seaweed farmers across the Western Indian Ocean region. Combines feasibility grants ($200,000 from SDG Finance Initiative), microcredit schemes, and Village Savings and Loan Associations.
- Blue Carbon Credits: Voluntary carbon credit market development for mangrove restoration projects. Establishing blue carbon credits through mangrove protection generating revenue for coastal communities while supporting climate goals.
- Donations via Every.org: Public-facing donation platform enabling individual supporters to contribute to conservation efforts, accessible through the organization's website.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Action For Ocean product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Action For Ocean (AFO) is a Tanzanian nonprofit that restores marine ecosystems (mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass), implements fisheries co-management through BMUs and CFMAs, and builds climate-resilient blue economy livelihoods for coastal communities. Its flagship offerings include the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF) for women seaweed farmers, the Tanzania DiveLab PADI-certified training program, the Matumbawe Hai coral restoration model, digital traceability via the Koltiva platform, mangrove restoration generating blue carbon credits, and Village Savings and Loan Associations for financial inclusion.
Product overview
Action For Ocean (AFO) is a Tanzanian youth-led marine conservation organization operating a portfolio of interconnected programs focused on sustaining fisheries, restoring marine ecosystems, and empowering coastal communities. The core offerings include the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF) for financing women seaweed farmers, Tanzania DiveLab for professional diving certification, and the Matumbawe Hai coral restoration model. These programs are unified by the CLEAR Model framework combining community-based finance with digital traceability. Supporting services include mangrove restoration, fisheries co-management governance support, Village Savings and Loan Associations for financial inclusion, and the Sus Blue Shop for sustainable blue economy commerce. The organization also offers PADI dive certification training through its certified educational facility.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tanzania DiveLab: A local training ecosystem merging scientific diving, storytelling, community education, and conservation entrepreneurship to build local capacity for ocean access and marine conservation in Tanzania.
- Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF)
- Matumbawe Hai
- CLEAR Model
Products and services
- Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF) A blended finance facility providing women seaweed farmers across the Western Indian Ocean region with access to finance, deep-sea farming technology, and market linkages for climate-resilient blue economy livelihoods. Targeted primarily at the 80%+ women who constitute Tanzania's seaweed farmers and implemented through VSLAs, microcredit, and digital traceability.
- Tanzania DiveLab A locally-operated training ecosystem merging scientific diving, storytelling, community education, and conservation entrepreneurship. Operating as a PADI Educational Facility in Kilwa Masoko to train professional divers, instructors, and underwater researchers from coastal communities, with a 5-year goal of 150+ professional divers and 100 divemasters.
- Matumbawe Hai Coral Restoration Model A community-anchored coral restoration approach that integrates governance, restoration, livelihoods, Village Savings and Loan Associations, leadership training, youth engagement, and eco-tourism into a single sustainable system. Designed to operate without external expertise dependency and to remain functional when funding cycles end.
- Digital Traceability System for Seaweed Farming A data-driven traceability system using the Koltiva platform that creates digital identities for seaweed farmers, tracks harvests and quality metrics, and connects farmers to financial services and premium markets through verifiable data. Operational with the Makoroni Group (Mkinga, Tanga) as early adopters.
- Mangrove Restoration Program Marine ecosystem restoration initiative focused on restoring mangrove forests along Tanzania's coastline, supporting coastal community livelihoods, and building blue carbon credit markets. Includes school-based mangrove awareness programs (e.g., Mtakuja Beach Secondary School) and carbon footprint offsetting partnerships.
- Fisheries Co-management and Governance Community-led fisheries management program supporting Beach Management Units (BMUs) and Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas (CFMAs) to strengthen governance and sustainable resource use across Tanzania's coastline. Includes leadership training, capacity building, and integration with Marine Protected Area frameworks.
- Sus Blue Shop Sustainable Blue Economy shop initiative increasing income for women seaweed farmers in Zanzibar through improved product quality, packaging, business skills development, and partnerships with buyers and distributors. Combines production support with market linkage for higher-value sales.
- PADI Dive Certification Training Globally recognized PADI scuba courses from beginner to professional levels offered through AFO's certified PADI Educational Facility in Kilwa, enabling local coastal residents to become certified divers and marine professionals. Training pipeline includes divemaster and instructor-level certifications.
- Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) Community-based savings and lending groups that mobilize local capital and build a culture of saving and reinvestment among coastal communities, particularly women seaweed farmers and fisher groups. Embedded across AFO's seaweed farming and fisheries programs as a financial inclusion mechanism.
- Deep-Water Tubular Net Seaweed Farming Technology Climate-resilient deep-water seaweed farming technology deployed in partnership with SeaPower and supported by ORRAA. Enables shallow-water farmers to upgrade to deeper, more productive waters with accompanying microcredit and savings schemes for equipment purchase.
Quantifiable outcome
- 287,240 mangroves restored across Tanzania's coast
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Action For Ocean
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Action For Ocean technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Action For Ocean partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, key and minor.
- Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)coreAfter three years of partnership including ORRAA's Ocean Resilience Innovation Challenge (ORIC) where AFO was one of its first winners, AFO achieved full membership status. ORRAA has supported AFO's mangrove restoration linked to carbon credit markets and microcredit schemes for women seaweed farmers. Membership enables deeper involvement in ORRAA projects and access to vast network of governments, finance and insurance partners.
- Mawimbi Ocean Innovations (Kenya)coreKenyan partner in the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF), a groundbreaking initiative to transform East Africa's coastal seaweed farming sector through climate financing using the CLEAR model.
- MaliasilicoreCommunications workshop facilitator and partner in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Program. Co-facilitated the WIOMSA Community Marine Leaders Hub. Supporting organizational communications capacity building.
- Blue VenturescorePartner in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Program (AMCLP), a partnership between Maliasili and Blue Ventures hosting 18 senior leaders from Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania.
- Segal Family FoundationmajorHosted Spotlight Africa event during New York Climate Week, providing platform for AFO and Tengeneza Generation to present 'Guardians of Green and Blue: A Tanzanian Conservation Journey'. Partnership with Rippleworks, Livelihood Impact Fund, and Judith Neilson Foundation.
- Tengeneza Generation (TEG)keyCollaboration for New York Climate Week session bringing green and blue voices together - forest guardians from Uluguru Mountains and coastal ocean defenders. TEG working with 15 communities near mountain reserves with 80% of businesses still operating since 2023.
- PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)coreAFO became a certified PADI Educational Facility - the first locally-operated NGO PADI center in Tanzania, authorized to provide official PADI dive courses from beginner to professional levels aligning with global standards.
- Nature Environment & Wildlife Filmmaking (NEWF)coreAfrica Refocused partnership with National Geographic Society running Tanzania DiveLab. Trained 120+ Africans in diving skills to divemaster level with focus on women. NEWF's goal to reach 100 Africans with Divemaster skills by 2030.
- National Geographic SocietymajorAfrica Refocused partnership with NEWF focusing on 'changing the storyteller'. Supporting Tanzania DiveLab, Nancy Iraba's 2024 Wayfinder Award, and ocean conservation storytelling capacity.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)keyCollaboration on artisanal fisheries patterns mapping survey, training data collectors on mapping fishing grounds, metadata creation, and evaluation methodologies.
- KoltivakeyDigital traceability platform connecting seaweed farmers, buyers, and batches through verifiable data. Building digital identities for farmers, proof of productivity, quality, and sustainability for financial inclusion.
- SeaPowerkeyPartnership for upscaling deep-water tubular net seaweed farming technology along Tanzania's coastline. Joint project 'Developing Micro Credit and Savings Schemes to Upgrade to Tubular Nets for Seaweed Farming' supported by ORRAA.
- Goshen CollegeminorUS-based liberal arts college students participated in mangrove restoration activities, donated approximately 1,200,000 TZS to facilitate carbon footprint removal and mangrove restoration (~1 acre). Professor Jerrell Richer provided carbon onsetting insights.
- Institute of Development Policy (IOB), University of AntwerpkeyCollaboration on Women Water Watch (wWw) citizen science project for water quality monitoring. IOB bringing research expertise alongside AFO's community engagement experience in citizen science initiatives.
- Blue VentureskeyListed among blue carbon accelerator cohort partners; conservation organization focused on community-based marine conservation
- Honeyguide FoundationkeyTanzanian NGO that has spent nearly two decades developing Wildlife Management Areas. AFO learned from Honeyguide's experience in turning conservation areas into self-reliant social enterprises to apply lessons to marine CFMAs.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Action For Ocean competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- REV Ocean: Large-scale marine conservation and ocean science organization with global blue economy and ocean-health mandate; comparable in marine conservation scope but operates at significantly larger scale and different geography.
- Conservation International: Large global conservation organization funding blue carbon and coastal community programs globally, including in East Africa; overlaps with AFO in marine conservation and blue economy themes.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): Global conservation NGO with active Tanzania fisheries and marine programs; AFO partner on artisanal fisheries mapping, but WCS operates at vastly larger scale across many geographies.
- Rare: Global conservation organization specializing in community-based fisheries and coastal co-management with a behavior-change methodology — comparable in mission to AFO's BMU/CFMA and livelihood work but at much larger scale.
Direct peers
- Blue Ventures: Community-based marine conservation organization operating across the Western Indian Ocean with co-managed fisheries, community-led conservation, and livelihoods programs — directly comparable model to AFO and an existing AFO partner.
- SeaPower: Provider of deep-water tubular net seaweed farming technology in East Africa; AFO partner under ORRAA on the same seaweed farming technology deployment, operating in overlapping geographies.
- Mawimbi Ocean Innovations: Kenya-based organization working on seaweed farming value chains and ocean innovation in East Africa; AFO's AFSFF co-implementation partner and the most directly comparable seaweed-farming peer in the region.
- Honeyguide Foundation: Tanzanian NGO that has run Wildlife Management Areas for nearly two decades using community-based conservation and social enterprise models; AFO explicitly cites Honeyguide as a model for self-reliant marine CFMAs.
Others
- ORRAA (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance): Multi-stakeholder alliance coordinating finance, insurance, and government action on ocean risk; AFO is a full member. ORRAA funds and convenes actors like AFO rather than competing with them on program delivery.
- Maliasili: Capacity-building organization that supports African conservation leaders and runs the African Marine Conservation Leadership Program alongside Blue Ventures; AFO partner and ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Action For Ocean social profiles
Digital presenceAction For Ocean compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Action For Ocean financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Action For Ocean leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Action For Ocean funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Action For Ocean M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Action For Ocean
What does Action For Ocean do?
Action For Ocean (AFO) is a Tanzanian nonprofit that restores marine ecosystems (mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass), implements fisheries co-management through BMUs and CFMAs, and builds climate-resilient blue economy livelihoods for coastal communities. Its flagship offerings include the Africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF) for women seaweed farmers, the Tanzania DiveLab PADI-certified training program, the Matumbawe Hai coral restoration model, digital traceability via the Koltiva platform, mangrove restoration generating blue carbon credits, and Village Savings and Loan Associations for financial inclusion.
Is Action For Ocean a public or private company?
Action For Ocean is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Action For Ocean founded?
Action For Ocean was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Action For Ocean based?
Action For Ocean is headquartered in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in the Africa region.
How does Action For Ocean make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Grants and Donations are the primary driver. The others are africa Fair Seaweed Finance Facility (AFSFF), blue Carbon Credits and donations via Every.org.
Who are Action For Ocean's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are REV Ocean, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Rare. Direct peers are Blue Ventures, SeaPower, Mawimbi Ocean Innovations and Honeyguide Foundation. Others are ORRAA (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance) and Maliasili.
Does Action For Ocean have an API?
No public API is recorded for Action For Ocean.
What industry is Action For Ocean in?
Action For Ocean's product category is Marine Conservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAE, Marine & Freshwater Conservation, with a secondary code of AFAEAAAH, Offshore & Open-Ocean Aquaculture. Its NAICS code is 11251 and its SIC code is 900.