{"id":28662,"date":"2022-09-06T15:46:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T14:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/?p=28662"},"modified":"2026-04-16T00:07:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T23:07:49","slug":"voices-of-african-marine-conservation-leaders-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/voices-of-african-marine-conservation-leaders-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Banking on a brighter marine future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This post is the third series featuring some of the first marine conservation leaders taking part in the <\/span>African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that Blue Ventures and Maliasili started in 2020. They share their leadership journeys as part of the programme, which aims to strengthen marine conservation in the Western Indian Ocean region by training leaders of outstanding conservation organisations. In this series, Juma Mohamed shares his leadership journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Juma Mohamed, Head of Programmes at <\/b>Mwambao<\/b><\/a> in Tanzania<\/b><\/h4>\n

No one expected my shift from banking and finance to the conservation sector. My friends and family thought I was losing years of experience in the banking industry that had seen me rise through the ranks. However, the few people who understood my connection to the ocean encouraged me to leap forward into the marine conservation space.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Potrait – Juma Mohamed. | Credits: Maliasili\/ Josh Msuya.<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Juma participating in a session during the African Marine Conservation Leadership meeting in Diani, south coast – Kenya. | Credits: Maliasili<\/div><\/div>
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Sunset in Diani, south coast, Kenya. | Credits: Maliasili\/ Josh Msuya.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

I have seized opportunities and created a niche for myself, using my experiences in the banking industry to trial and implement alternative livelihood solutions with communities in conservation, with varying success rates. I\u2019ve had much more success since undergoing leadership training as part of the first cohort of the<\/span> African Marine Leadership Programme<\/span><\/a>\u00a0because I was able to identify my strengths, which include connecting with people and how I can tap into this to influence positive change among the communities.<\/span><\/p>\n