The OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) Project aims at building equitable capacity related to ocean research, observations and services in all IOC Member States. The OTGA Project aims to develop a global training centre network and utilize this network to increase national capacity in coastal and marine knowledge and management. The OTGA Project builds upon the achievements of the OceanTeacher Academy project (2009-2013), which developed a Learning Management System and teaching programme that has successfully organized 42 courses on ocean data and information management, involving over 1300 participants from over 120 countries, at the IOC Project Office for IODE in Oostende, Belgium. The regional implementation strategy makes training programmes self-driven with great attention to local requirements, language and culture. The OTGA is based on local ownership as the Regional Training Centres (RTCs) are supported by the host countries. In addition the OTGA validates the expertise available in developing regions and promotes their self-reliance in terms of specialized technical training and higher education related to ocean science, observation and data/information management. The OTGA aims to change the training culture from a “north to south” model to north-south, south-south, and south-north. Whereas training was traditionally based on experts from developed regions to visit and teach developing country students, the OTGA promotes the expertise available in many regions. The OTGA aims are to: (1) Promote the establishment, and assist with the start-up, of Regional Training Centres that will plan, organize and implement training courses that are of relevance and serve needs within their region and teach these in locally relevant languages; (2) Promote the use of local experts as lecturers and training assistants by the Regional Training Centres; (3) Promote the collaboration between the Regional Training Centres by enabling (through advanced information technology) lecturers from multiple regions to contribute lectures; (4) Further develop the OceanTeacher Learning Management System to cover multiple IOC (and associate) programmes.