Group photo of the event – Nigeria Reviews FCWC Draft Protocol on Decent Work in Fisheries
The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Nigeria’s Federal Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (FDFA) participated in a two-day national consultation workshop on 7 & 8 May 2024 at the FDFA office in Lagos, Nigeria.
The workshop is the latest in a series of national consultation workshops in the FCWC region organized to collect feedback on the draft Protocol to Address Labour Standards for Crew and the Elimination of Forced Labour on Fishing Vessels in the FCWC region.
Through the ongoing partnership between the FCWC and ILO, the draft protocol was developed as an addition to the Convention for the Establishment of the FCWC, to address decent work deficits in the region. The protocol requires input from relevant stakeholders at the national level for each FCWC Member State, following which a consolidated version will be produced and submitted for ministerial adoption.
The Director FDFA, Wellington Omoragbon in his speech delivered by Deputy Director Paul Opuama, stated that the sector’s numerous labour standards and working conditions challenges cannot be ignored, adding that “adhering to international labour standards would not only uphold the rights of fishers but foster a culture of sustainability and responsibility in the industry.”
ILO Ghana National Project Coordinator, Mr Emmanuel Kwame Mensah held an interactive session with participants to equip them with the core ideas to apply during the review of the draft protocol: the fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), indicators of forced labour, and the provisions of Convention 188 (C188).
Participants in the meeting included representatives of FCWC, ILO, FDFA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNO/WTSSA), Nigerian Trawlers Owners Association (NITOA), Lagos State Fishermen Cooperative Association (LASFICAS),Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria Limited (FCFNL), African Women Fish Processor and Traders Network (AWFISHNET), and Nigerian Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAAE).
The meeting concluded with the collation of inputs from the review of the draft protocol, the successful update of the national assessment questionnaire responses, and the nomination of focal points for the regional working group on labour standards.
