Nigeria has been appointed to be at the forefront of the war against illegal fishing in the West Central Gulf of Guinea. This is following the election of Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, as Chairman of the Conference of Ministers of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) during a high-level regional meeting, in Lagos, under the theme “Securing Our Ocean Future: People, Resources, and Commitments”. .

The concerned nations included Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo, alongside representatives of regional institutions, international partners, and maritime experts.

In his acceptance speech, Oyetola expressed deep gratitude for the confidence reposed in him by his colleagues and pledged to build on the strong foundation laid by his predecessors.

He underscored his commitment to advancing collective action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a major threat to marine sustainability and regional stability.

The minister emphasised that his tenure would prioritise regional cooperation, transparency, and capacity building as tools to strengthen the collective management of ocean resources within the West Central Gulf of Guinea.

He noted that effective ocean governance is a shared responsibility that demands political will, coordinated enforcement, and sustained partnerships across borders. Oyetola reaffirmed Nigeria’s strong commitment to the FCWC and highlighted the growing importance of the blue economy in national development.

The minister outlined Nigeria’s ongoing reforms in port modernisation, maritime security, aquaculture expansion, and institutional coordination aimed at fostering sustainable growth.

He further called for strengthened joint patrols, harmonised regulations, real-time intelligence sharing, and coordinated enforcement mechanisms among FCWC Member States.

The Conference of Ministers was preceded by a series of technical sessions attended by delegates from FCWC Member States and development partners, during which progress reports and new initiatives for regional fisheries governance were deliberated.

The Secretary General of the FCWC, Antoine Gaston Djihinto, urged member states to improve their financial contributions to sustain regional fisheries and aquaculture programmes.

He highlighted inclusive management, human capacity development, and stronger regional coordination as key to ensuring sustainable fisheries in the subregion.