NIGERIA and five other African countries are set to participate in 14th session of the conference of ministers meeting of Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC).
The FWC is an intergovernmental organisation dealing with regional cooperation in fisheries among its members States.
According to a statement released by the committee, the session themed “Supporting effective fisheries management for a sustainable blue economy” would be held between 11th and 13th of January in Accra, Ghana, in-person and virtually.
Relevant ministers of the six FCWC Member States – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo – are expected to attend the meeting.
“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 statement said.
“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.”
The meeting will provide an opportunity for the six member states to commit to harmonize policy and common actions to be taken to address depleting fisheries stocks and develop aquaculture in the region under the ECOWAS integrated fisheries and aquaculture development policy.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.