CRESMAO organized a workshop from October 14 to 16, 2024, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, focusing on fisheries governance and the challenges posed by illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in West Africa. This event aligns with the recommendation from the 65th Ordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS to promote regional cooperation against IUU fishing.
The meeting aimed to foster sustainable fishing practices while preserving marine ecosystems. Commodore Richard Maru Shammah, Director of CRESMAO, inaugurated the session by expressing gratitude towards Ivorian authorities for their support. He emphasized that this gathering answers a call from ECOWAS leaders and expressed hope that expert discussions would produce valuable documents for ECOWAS authorities.
Mr. Ouraga Jérôme Wanyou spoke on behalf of Her Excellency the Resident Representative of ECOWAS. He highlighted the economic importance of ECOWAS’s maritime domain and noted its vulnerability to challenges like IUU fishing. Mr. Wanyou praised CRESMAO’s initiative in organizing this workshop as a means to enhance regional maritime cooperation and information sharing for current and future generations’ benefit.
Mr. Anthony Moulot represented SEPCIM-AEM’s Permanent Secretary at the event. He paid tribute to President Alassane Ouattara for his role in addressing geostrategic challenges at the Yaoundé Summit in June 2013. Mr. Moulot endorsed the workshop’s theme as aligning with Ivorian government concerns.
The workshop concluded with recommendations set to be presented to ECOWAS Management and relevant authorities.
