Gulf of Guinea Nations Meet in Lomé to Update Regional Plan Tackling Illegal Fishing

Agriculture

Thursday, 22 May 2025 13:12

Gulf of Guinea Nations Meet in Lomé to Update Regional Plan Tackling Illegal Fishing

(Togo First) - Six West African countries are meeting in Lomé, Togo, to strengthen cooperation against illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, a region vital to local economies and food security.

Representatives from Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria gathered on May 19 for a three-day summit organized by the West Central Gulf of Guinea Fisheries Committee (CPCO). The meeting aimed to develop coordinated measures to address the economic and environmental damage caused by unauthorized fishing vessels, including many foreign ships.

Illegal fishing has led to significant economic losses, job cuts, and the degradation of marine ecosystems across the region. To tackle these challenges, CPCO members are considering the establishment of a regional register of authorized vessels. This tool would centralize data, harmonize enforcement efforts, and enable real-time monitoring of fishing activities.

The committee also discussed implementing a strict biological rest period to allow fish stocks to recover.

“It was time to draw up a regional fisheries regime based on a common roadmap,” said CPCO advisor Kossi Ahoedo.

During the meeting, Togo emphasized its commitment to leading the initiative to ensure the sustainable economic development of its coastal zones.

The meeting ended on May 21.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

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GETTING ELECTRICITY (more info)

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REGISTERING A PROPERTY (more info)

Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

To improve its business environment, Togo introduced some important reforms related to the payment of tax and duties. From the replacement of some taxes to the cancellation of others through exemptions, the country has only one objective: offer the most attractive tax framework to investors and economic operators. To achieve this, the authorities relied on digitization.