The Coastal Ocean Environment School in Western Indian Ocean (COES-WIO) in Kenya is thrilled to open applications for its inaugural program. Modelled after the successful Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria and Ghana (COESSING; https://coessing.org/), which has fostered oceanography skills and capacity across West Africa since 2015, COES-WIO offers a transformative learning experience in ocean science.

The program includes an immersive, in-person week from 21st to 27th September 2025 in Mombasa, Kenya, where participants will engage in hands-on activities, including fieldwork, laboratory analysis, data interpretation, and presentations. This experience is designed to enhance practical skills, connect with experts, and build networks that support continued growth and international collaboration in ocean sciences. Participants will have the opportunity to learn advanced ocean-related practices and global frameworks, important tools to advance capacity in research, management, and services.

The training is developed as a pre-activity of the 13th Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Symposium, and is organized in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The school will gather 75 international young professionals from the WIO region.

Venue: Mombasa, Kenya

The training will take place at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) with some sessions hosted at Pwani University and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, the learners are expected to:

• Be familiar with field surveys and experimental techniques within the different project tracks.
• Understand how to use different equipment for physical and biological data collection within the different project tracks.
• Be familiar with processes involved in the different project tracks including fish handling, postharvest processes, marine plastics and laboratory sample processes. 
• Develop reports to communicate the scientific concepts learnt in the various project tracks.

Course contents

• Small Scale Fisheries & Postharvest losses, Mariculture potential in the WIO
• Climate change - Beach Erosion & Coastal Processes
• Physical and Chemical Oceanography
• Marine Plastics & Pollution
• Ecological Survey Techniques and Data Management

Target audience

Students (Bachelors, masters, PhD), early-career researchers, and professionals in marine science and oceanography-related fields, including sectoral stakeholders from the WIO region.

Language of instruction: English

Moderators and Instructors

• Cosmas Munga, TUM
• Ali Maarifa, PU
• Brian Arbic, U-Michigan
• Janae' Collier, U-Michigan
• Eben Nyadjro, Mississippi State University
• Richmond Q., Plastic Punch, Ghana
• John Walter, UNILAG
• Audrey Delpech, CNRS France
• Chenzhu (William) Xu, Oregon State University
• Peter Knoop, U-Michigan
• Tracey Schafer, U-Michigan
• Gabriel Akoko Juma, Alfred Wegener Institute
• Joseph Tunje, PU
• Francis Mutuku, TUM
• Saeed Mwaguni, TUM
• David Mirera, KMFRI
• John Mbugani, UDOM
• Clara Rivers, U-Copenhagen
• Anthony Nzioka, KMFRI
• Peter Odote, KMFRI-Associate
• Frank Mirobo, UDOM
• Nimit Kumar
• Ritabrata Thakur, IIT New Delhi

Organizers

The training is organized by the University of Michigan (UoM), USA in collaboration with Technical University of Mombasa (TUM), Pwani University (PU), and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI). 

Activities were made possible with additional support of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association, BlueCaD Project – Early Career Ocean Professionals Programme, Western Indian Ocean Early Career Scientists Network (WIO-ECSN), and UNESCO IOC OceanTeacher Global Academy and Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility.

Course duration and format:

In-person course, with a total of 42 hours of training time involving on-site activities.

Please note that some project tracks might have about 4 hours of synchronous (online) sessions to prepare the students for on-site activities. These sessions will be communicated to the respective learners after selection. The online sessions will take place from 17:00 HRS to 19:00 HRS, Nairobi time to allow for participation of teachers and students from a wide range of time zones.

Each project track will have 15 selected based on preference, during application.

A detailed timetable will be shared with the students 3 weeks prior to the course.

Learner Assessment and Certificate

The certificate will be issued after the completion and full attendance of the activities in the respective project tracks, including successfully completing the group presentations.

Note: submitting the course feedback survey is mandatory to obtain the course certificate.

How to apply

This course has a limited number of participants. 

Please complete the online application form available on this LINK. The applications start on 2 July 2025 and the deadline to submit is 15 July 2025  (23:59 CEST: Central European Summer Time).

UNESCO is committed to promoting equal access principles. Applications from minority or underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

Selection criteria

The application and selection process will be coordinated by the organizers. Participants will be selected according to the following criteria:

• Gender balance
• Nationalities of or studying in WIO countries, that is; from Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion.
• Geographical representation
• Age range: up to 35 years old
• Background: all the sectors are encouraged to apply. We will pay attention to create an interdisciplinary group, and distribute learners in the different project tracks based on preference.

Contacts

• Course Coordinators: Gabriel Juma gabriel.juma@awi.de and Cosmas Munga ckamunga2014@tum.ac.ke  
• OTGA Secretariat: ioc.training@unesco.org

Costs

This training has no tuition fees.

15 grants are available to cover the travel costs (for non-Kenyan participants). Accommodation for the whole week is provided to all the participants; breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included. Other participants will have to cover the costs of travel.

Feedback survey:

At the end of the course, you will be asked to fill out a feedback survey. This information will be used to improve future courses.

Cancellation policy

In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.