Accra, Ghana: 10th January 2022 The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) is an intergovernmental organisation dealing with regional cooperation in fisheries among its members States. The organisation hereby announces the holding of its 14th session of the Conference of Ministers meeting from 11 – 13 January 2023 in Accra, Ghana, in-person and online.
The Ministers of the six FCWC Member States (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and 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 & 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 harmonizing 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.
Background
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.
