The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), an intergovernmental organization dealing with regional cooperation in fisheries among its members states, has announced its 14th session of the conference of ministers meeting scheduled for January 11 – 13, 2023 in Accra, Ghana, in-person and online.
The ministers of the six FCWC member states—Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo—or their representatives are expected to attend this year’s meeting organized on the theme “Supporting effective fisheries management for a sustainable blue economy.”
The ministerial conference on 13 January 2023 will be preceded by a two-day advisory and coordinating committee (ACC) session gathering regional and international partners and national directors in charge of fisheries and aquaculture development in the region, on 11 and 12 January 2023.
The session’s participants will deliberate on the theme, review the past year’s results, and agree on a workplan and budget for the 2023/2024 period to be submitted to the ministers to adopt.
“The FCWC is actively working toward contributing to ocean economy development and the achievement of UN SDGs by countries of this region.
Therefore, the organisation as a regional advisory body is prioritizing effective fisheries management, the improved implementation of fisheries policy and management plans (including determining the feasibility of a regional closed season) to rebuild the fisheries stock, sustain the economy and enhance the food security of the region.
This meeting will provide the opportunity for six member States to commit to harmonize policy and common actions to be taken to address depleting fisheries stocks and develop aquaculture in the region under ECOWAS’s integrated fisheries and aquaculture development strategy.
This includes reviewing the existing plan, and identifying priority actions,” said FCWC Secretary-General, Seraphin Dedi.
The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) is an intergovernmental body established in 2007, with a Secretariat hosted in Tema, Ghana. The FCWC facilitates cooperation in fisheries management between its member countries: Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
The countries have several shared fish stocks and identified the need for cooperation and shared management of these resources.