The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), in collaboration with Ghana’s Fisheries Commission, under the auspices of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MOFA) held a National Workshop for the Restitution and Validation of Institutional and Legal Framework Analysis, and Stakeholder Mapping for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) at the Hephzibah Christian Centre in Aburi, Ghana, from 20-22 October 2025, to validate the results of the analysis report conducted by the MarEcoPlan project’s national consultant.
The workshop was organised under the “Using Marine Spatial Planning in the Gulf of Guinea for the Implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services and Coastal Nature-Based Solutions,” dubbed the MarEcoPlan project, a three-year pilot project being implemented in three FCWC Member States: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo. The MarEcoPlan project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is being jointly implemented with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The opening ceremony was marked by speeches from the FCWC Secretary-General, Dr Gaston Djihinto, and the MarEcoPlan Project Coordinator, Kossi Ahoedo. Secretary-General Djihinto thanked the project’s technical and financial partners (GEF and IUCN) and the diverse range of stakeholders present for making themselves available for this milestone in efforts to develop MSP. MarEcoPlan Project Coordinator Ahoedo called on participants to share their institutional insights and ensure that the draft report reflects the requisite consensus for adoption.
The workshop’s participants, including representatives from FCWC, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MOFA), Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MESTI), Coastal Development Authority (CODA), Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), Ghana Shippers Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana News Agency (GNA), Fisheries Commission, Forestry Commission’s Wildlife Division, Petroleum Commission, University of Ghana, University of Cape Coast, Ghana Navy, National Fisheries Association of Ghana (NAFAG), Ghana National Canoe Fisherman Council (GNCFC), Tullow Ghana, and Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), Jomoro Municipal Assembly, Nzema East Municipal Assembly, and Ellembelle District Assembly.
Over the three days, participants reviewed the findings of the assessments made by the MarEcoPlan project’s national consultant, Dr Kwame Adu Agyekum. The assessments focused on institutional mandate, legal status, institutional roles, monitoring systems and MSP alignment using legal instruments, policy documents, international conventions, institutional reports and stakeholder inputs. International MSP consultant Mrs Dieynaba Seck led participant groups through a framework analysis exercise to examine institutional strengths, legal provisions that effectively support MSP objectives, and weaknesses in institutional legal frameworks that hinder MSP effectiveness. Subsequent group exercises included; stakeholder mapping; compilation of a list of marine space stakeholders; identification of synergies, conflicts and gaps; and the completion of a power/interest matrix.
The Land Use and Spatial Planning Act (Act 925) was identified as a key legal instrument capable of integrating all MSP layers, although it lacks explicit MSP regulations. Key observations included the need to develop data interoperability, structure stakeholder consultation frameworks, and strengthen institutional collaboration.
The workshop concluded with decisions to adopt the jointly compiled stakeholder mapping list, and to validate the draft report as-is, pending revision to incorporate observations made during the workshop. Key recommendations include the call for the establishment of a national MSP Technical Committee with a clear mandate and structure; the creation of a shared “one-map” MSP platform for all marine and coastal spatial data; and the development of an MSP regulation under Act 925.
