The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) and its partners TMT and Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF) of the West Africa Task Force (WATF) held a Technical Discussion at the Alisa Hotel on 3 October 2025 in Tema, Ghana. The technical meeting was organised to review the Regional Monitoring Control and Surveillance Centre (RMCSC) activities (patrol planning, due diligence requests, training), and how these activities advance progress on the establishment of the Regional Record of Authorised Fishing Vessels (RRAFV).

 

The meeting’s participants included representatives from the FCWC Secretariat, Directors of Fisheries of the FCWC Member States, national Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) focal points from Member States, TMT, SIF, and ECOWAS (as a permanent observer).

 

The meeting opened with remarks from the FCWC Secretary-General, Dr Gaston Dhjihinto, the Executive Director of TMT, Dr Gareth Johnstone, and Ghana Fisheries Commission’s new Director of MCS, Abena Asante, speaking on behalf of the Executive Director, Prof. Benjamin Campion.

 
The presentations began with a review of recommendations from the previous WATF meeting, followed by updates on regional patrol planning in coordination with the West Africa Sustainable Oceans Programme (WASOP), and the outcomes of the national consultations on the process for establishing the RRAFV. The national consultations revealed more similarities than differences in vessel registration and licensing processes across the region, and identified country-specific requirements, licensing fees, and documentation. Subsequently, break-out group sessions were held, organised by language, to develop joint perspectives on administrative procedures for vessel registration into the RRAFV.

 

The key outcome of the meeting is a consensus to pilot the registration process in conformity with the administrative procedures jointly agreed upon at this meeting. A draft outline of the process is being prepared and will be shared with the Member States ahead of the 16th Conference of Ministers scheduled to take place in Lagos, Nigeria.