Food insecurity and the enabling environment to finance a sustainable ocean economy in West Africa

Purpose The United Nations (UN) has raised concerns about food security in Africa and proposed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Zero Hunger (SDG 1) and No Poverty (SDG 2) for Africa by 2030. In light of this, this study aims to suggest ideas in this regard by applying data-driven research to find natural resource choices to mitigate food insecurity, especially in West African Countries (WAC). Design/methodology/approach The study uses secondary national level panel data (2000–2023) to model associations among FI (food insecurity), OHI (Ocean health index), FDIF (Foreign direct investment in fisheries), Credit Access to Fisheries (CAF), FP (fisheries production) and FIN (food inflation) to produce evidence, testing for cross-sectional, Unit root test, Heterogeneity and cointegration tests. Findings The paper concluded the empirical estimation with the Driscoll–Kraay standard error (DSKE) and the feasible generalized least squares model for robustness. The findings reveal that blue economy investments (FDIF and fisheries production) can significantly reduce food insecurity, while food inflation and misaligned credit access can worsen it. Originality/value Finally, the study found that OHI unexpectedly increases food insecurity, implying that improvements in ocean health do not directly translate to increased food access in the short run. Hence, financing and advocating for sustainable ocean investment are crucial for addressing the UN SDGs 1 and 2.