The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea participated in the Donors Roundtable to strengthen the regional coordination to combat IUU in West Africa organised by the ECOWAS Commission, in collaboration with the Subregional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) and with technical and financial support from the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (FAO) on 23–24 September 2025 at Abuja, Nigeria.
 
The Donors Roundtable was organised to seek the necessary funding to implement the Regional Strategic Framework and Action Plan (RSFAP) to combat IUU fishing in West Africa. The Roundtable’s participants included representatives from ECOWAS, the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), the Subregional Fisheries Commission (SRFC), the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (FAO), the West Africa Non-State Actors for Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (WANSAFA), resource persons, and donor agencies. The key outcomes of the Roundtable are the sharing of regional and sub-regional strategies, the acknowledgement and dissemination of the RSFAP Project Document, the exploration of funding opportunities, and consensus on next steps for its implementation.
 
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the most serious threats to the sustainable management of marine resources in West Africa. It undermines stock recovery efforts, degrades marine habitats, and jeopardises the food security and livelihoods of coastal communities. The Financial Transparency Coalition has estimated that the region loses between $2.3 billion to $9.4 billion annually due to IUU fishing. Despite the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy in 2014 and the Comprehensive Strategic Framework for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2020, the scale and complexity of IUU fishing activities continue to grow.
 
Recognising the need for enhanced regional cooperation, ECOWAS signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding in 2022 with the Subregional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC). This agreement laid the foundation for the development of the Regional Strategic Framework and Action Plan to Combat IUU Fishing in West Africa (RSFAP), with technical support from the United Nations Organisation for Food and Agriculture (FAO). The RSFAP aims to strengthen equitable economic growth and food security by contributing to the elimination of IUU fishing through improved legal, institutional, and operational capacities at both national and regional levels.
 
Following this, a five-year implementation project with an estimated budget of €17 million was developed in 2023, designed to support Member States and Mauritania in operationalising the RSFAP. In March 2025, ECOWAS convened a regional stakeholders meeting in Abidjan to validate a three-year roadmap for sustainable and inclusive exploitation of marine resources. The Donors Roundtable in Abuja represents the next key step in this sequence of efforts.
 
At the Roundtable, participants were presented with major regional and sub-regional strategies and initiatives led by FCWC and SRFC, and received the RSFAP Project Document. FAO also presented its TCP project support in developing the framework. A key objective of the event was to open discussions with development partners and potential donors on avenues for financial and technical support. By the close of the meeting, stakeholders had jointly reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated regional action and agreed on the next steps for mobilisation and implementation.
 
The FCWC remains committed to advancing regional cooperation and coordination in line with its Strategic Action Plan 2021–2030, and in support of Member States’ national efforts to eliminate IUU fishing. The Donors Roundtable demonstrates the growing momentum behind shared regional priorities and the need for sustained investment to achieve long-term fisheries governance outcomes across West Africa.