Activities

At the initiative of ATLAFCO, the main regional fishing organizations operating along the African Atlantic coast met in Tangier on March 7, 2026, within the framework of a coordination meeting dedicated to evaluating the cooperation partnership established in 2015 and revitalizing it in favor of the sustainable use of living marine resources.

Held under the theme "Promoting synergies for the sustainable use of living marine resources", this meeting is part of the continuation of the initiative launched by ATLAFCO, which led to the signing, on February 22, 2015, in Agadir, Morocco, of a memorandum of understanding bringing together several regional fishing organizations, including FCWC, COREP, SRFC, INFOPECHE, and REPAO, as well as WADAF, within a partnership dedicated to artisanal fishing.

Representatives from the African Union (AU-IBAR), the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), and MOSFA, ATLAFCO’s media partner, also participated in this coordination and consultation meeting.

Since the establishment of this intra-institutional regional cooperation framework, ATLAFCO has played a central role in regional coordination of the fisheries sector through organizing consultation meetings, providing technical and financial support to partner organizations for project implementation, notably in areas such as combating illegal fishing, developing fishing fleet registries, strengthening the role of women, governance of shared stocks, and improving market access for fishery products.

During this coordination meeting, a review of activities carried out under this cooperation was presented by the Executive Secretariat of ATLAFCO. While highlighting the financial efforts made and the technical support provided to partner organizations, it was acknowledged that the joint work program, the cornerstone of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2015, has not yet been fully implemented. It therefore called for a revision of this program to adjust and adapt it to the new challenges related to ocean sustainability and the development of the blue economy, while remaining faithful to the founding principle of the sustainable use of living marine resources.

The discussions also focused on the need to strengthen coordination among partner organizations. In this context, participants emphasized the importance of greater involvement of the various regional fishing organizations in implementing the new joint actions to be adopted for the 2026–2030 period and the designation of its monitoring committee.

The continental dimension of fisheries cooperation was also highlighted to participants during the remote intervention of Mr. Delvis Fortes from AU-IBAR, who presented the APRIFAAS platform created in 2015 in Cotonou under the aegis of the African Union through its regional office in charge of animal resources. This initiative aims to support regional institutions in the fisheries sector while respecting their role in contributing to the preservation of fishery resources.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of a roadmap to develop a new joint regional program, realistic and objective, opening a new phase in consolidating the partnership initiated by ATLAFCO in support of a more integrated and sustainable African fisheries governance.