The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MIRAH) is holding its third and final MarEcoPlan national training workshop on marine spatial planning (MSP) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire at the premises of the MIRAH Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture, from 8-11 July 2025, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The four-day workshop is the third MSP national training workshop (after workshops in Ghana and Togo) 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 Technical Advisor to the MIRAH Minister, Col. Alain Kodjo, and the MarEcoPlan Project Coordinator, Kossi Ahoedo, in the presence of the MIRAH Director of Fisheries, Col. Bina Fofana and the representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Interministerial Committee for State Action at Sea (SEPCIM-AEM). Mr Ahoedo, in his opening remarks, conveyed the thanks of the FCWC Secretary-General to the MIRAH Minister and the Ministry for their support in organizing this capacity building activity. Col. Alain, in his opening remarks on behalf of the MIRAH Minister, Hon. Sidi Touré, thanked participants, noting the multisectoral representation, and urged participants to adhere to the innovative and promising approach of MSP as a strategic tool to build a shared vision for the use of the shared marine space.
The meeting’s participants also included representatives from the Directorate-General for Maritime and Port Affairs (DGAMP), the Nangui Abrogoua University (Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Centre) (UNA), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), the Centre for Oceanological Research (CRO), Project to Prepare for Financing Blue Economy Development Activities in Côte d'Ivoire (PPF Blue Economy), Interpeche, Navy, the Blue Economy and Coastal Environment Directorate, National Bureau of Technical Studies and Development (BNETD), the Green Africa Environment NGO, and the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation.
The workshop aims to provide participants with fundamental tools, methodologies, and frameworks that support effective Marine Spatial Planning. It also to provide a platform for dialogue, exchange of ideas, and national cooperation, as effective marine planning relies on shared understanding and integrated approaches.
The workshop is being facilitated by MarEcoPlan’s International MSP Consultant, Mrs. Dieynaba Seck, in collaboration with MarEcoPlan’s Côte d’Ivoire’s MSP consultant, Mrs. Alimata Fofana Diomande, on Blue Planning MSP concepts. The MarEcoPlan project aims to establish a regional-level framework for MSP through national spatial plans, thereby generating a coherent, cross-border, and collaborative system for management.
Participants are being trained in marine ecosystem services, MSP data needs identification, spatial and temporal segregation of use, mapping seascapes, stakeholder identification and involvement, and the development of management scenarios for coastal areas.
