Joyce Mmereole Okoli
Nigeria has announced it will serve as the pilot country for the implementation of the Regional Record of Authorised Fishing Vessels in West Africa—an initiative expected to significantly strengthen transparency, cooperation and enforcement against illegal fishing across the Gulf of Guinea.
The decision was announced in Abuja by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and Chairman of the Conference of Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, during a high-level meeting with the organisation’s Secretary-General and secretariat staff.
Dr. Oyetola said Nigeria’s willingness to host the pilot phase of the regional vessel register demonstrates the country’s resolve to translate its regional leadership into concrete action that will secure fisheries resources, curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and strengthen governance across shared waters.
According to the minister, the Regional Record of Authorised Fishing Vessels will be a verified database of all industrial fishing vessels, national and foreign, permitted to operate within FCWC member states. The system, endorsed under the Monrovia Declaration, is expected to enhance information sharing, plug monitoring gaps, and improve cross-border accountability in a region where IUU fishing has long undermined livelihoods and food security.
“The project is envisaged as a formalised and validated regional database containing comprehensive and reliable information on fishing vessels authorised to operate within the maritime jurisdictions of FCWC Member States. This initiative represents a major step forward in strengthening transparency, accountability and cooperation in fisheries governance across our shared waters,” Dr. Oyetola said.
He explained that Nigeria’s pilot role would help test feasibility, identify operational challenges and offer practical lessons for the wider regional rollout. He also noted that Nigeria was reviewing its draft National Plan of Action on IUU fishing, following the transfer of fisheries oversight to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Dr. Oyetola further highlighted ongoing joint patrols and enforcement activities under the West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme, implemented by the FCWC in partnership with the European Fisheries Control Agency, as part of broader efforts to deter illegal fishing in the region.
The minister proposed enhanced institutional collaboration with the FCWC, including a high-level Nigerian mission to the organisation’s secretariat and regional monitoring centre, and cooperation on harmonising food safety and fisheries regulatory standards to boost intra-regional trade.
Reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional cooperation, he said his tenure as FCWC Chair would prioritise practical outcomes, stronger institutions and sustainable utilisation of ocean resources. He described the pilot vessel register as a defining milestone for transparent and accountable fisheries governance in West Africa.
In his remarks, FCWC Secretary-General Antoine Gaston Djihinto commended Dr. Oyetola for his leadership in tackling IUU fishing and for efforts to boost local fish production. He also praised Nigeria for hosting an “outstanding and highly commendable” FCWC Conference in Lagos in 2025.
Founded in 2007, the FCWC headquartered in Tema, brings together six member states: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo. The organisation works to harmonise fisheries regulation, strengthen monitoring and surveillance, and develop a sustainable blue economy that protects the livelihoods of small-scale fishers across the sub-region.