Dedi Seraphin, Vice Chair

Seraphin Dedi has recently retired from his long term position as the Executive Secretary of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), a regional body for fisheries in West Africa consisting of six member states - Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. During his tenure, the FCWC developed into a significant regional coordination and harmonization body that supported member states in engaging with international processes such as the Global Record, Cape Town Agreement (CTA), and the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). As a result, all FCWC countries have became party to the PSMA, and four countries have signed the CTA.

Dedi has made his most significant contributions to regional progress in the MCS area. He facilitated the FCWC West Africa Task Force, which served as a regional information sharing and cooperation mechanism to combat IUU fishing. Under his leadership, the FCWC established the regional MCS Centre, initiated the regional fisheries joint patrol, and implemented the fisheries closed season in West Africa.

Since January 2023, Dedi has been back in Cote d’Ivoire, his home country. He has a mission to energize the management of improved landing points for artisanal fisheries value chain development