As part of the West Africa Task Force (WATF) initiative of the Fisheries Committee for West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), the National Working Group (NWG) of Nigeria held its first workshop in Lagos from the 22nd – 24th May 2017.

The workshop was attended by a range of agencies that are involved in fighting illegal fishing in Nigeria including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Marine Police, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Navy and representatives from the Attorney General’s Office.

Ms Bola Kupolati from the Federal Department of Fisheries (FDF) informed attendees that cooperation had already begun and that the agencies have been communicating in the run up to the workshop. She encouraged attendees to improve the legal frameworks in place in order to close the gaps exploited by illegal operators. Applauding the unanimous agreement by all in attendance to formalise cooperation between the government agencies, representatives were encouraged to work together, and respond quickly and efficiently when called upon by their colleagues.

Per Erik Bergh commented “It’s great to see Nigeria successfully launch its NWG, with all agencies in attendance eager to formalise and strengthen cooperation mechanisms. Interagency cooperation is essential when dealing with illegal fishing given the range of jurisdictions and agencies involved in the sector.”

The NWG workshop was followed by the Fourth WATF Meeting, which took place in Lagos, Nigeria on the 25th and 26th May 2017. The six Task Force member countries of Benin, Côte D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo attended the meeting together with observers representing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) and the WorldFish Centre. The meeting is the last in the first phase of the initiative, and looked back on the challenges and successes in order to plan how best to approach the second phase.

Represented by Mr Aboubacar Sidibe, ECOWAS applauded the benefits provided to each State and to the region from the project, and noted the overlaps in the activities of the WATF and ECOWAS, hoping that in future there will be collaboration between the two organisations. The MESA project, operational since 2014, has stations in all the FCWC countries, also expressed eagerness to cooperate formally with the WATF initiative.

Mr. Seraphin Dedi Nadje, Secretary General of Fisheries Committee for West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) encouraged The Federal Government of Nigeria and the WATF members to continue their participation and cooperation in this and other regional initiatives, stating that the importance of initiatives such as WATF. Mr Seraphin stated that the countries are working towards a joint legal framework, and commended the sharing of license lists by all, and the implementation of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Numbers in Ghana and Nigeria.

Dr Asio Batola from the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) opened the meeting on behalf Nigeria, announcing that Nigeria is increasing its patrol capacity in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy. She stated that from the 1st July 2017 Nigeria will be enforcing mandatory vessel monitoring system (VMS) and automatic identification system (AIS), noting that the establishment of the NWG on the 23rd May 2017, formalised already existing collaboration between relevant agencies. This and other measures are hoped to reduce illegal activity in Nigerian waters and ensure Nigeria is adherent to international best practices.

The Task Force is facilitated by the FCWC Secretariat and supported by a Technical Team that includes TMT, SIF and NFDS with funding from Norad.