Shared waters, shared realities - expanding cooperation on fisheries port controls in Africa

Across Africa’s coastal regions, fisheries authorities are confronting a shared reality. Fishing fleets are highly mobile, and vessels shift between regions, change flags, and operate across multiple jurisdictions. No single country or region can effectively respond on its own.

In 2025 alone, every case reviewed by the Intelligence-led fisheries port controls programme, involved at least two African sub-regions, and sometimes partners beyond the continent.

Progress through collective action

Since 2021, the Intelligence-led fisheries port controls programme has supported African countries in taking practical steps to implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA).

An initial pilot in four countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal) has expanded to eleven countries in total, spanning three Regional Fisheries Bodies: Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) and Regional Fisheries Committee for the Gulf of Guinea (COREP) — as well as the regional monitoring mechanism Southern African Development Community Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (SADC-MCSCC).

Through analyses, tools, capacity training and regional communications, this programme has provided beneficiary countries with practical solutions that can help national authorities to refine their risk-based assessment of foreign vessels requesting access to their ports and conduct targeted intelligence-based inspections.

As a multi-donor programme, headed up by the FCWC and designed by TMT and Global Fishing Watch, the programme recognised from the outset that sustainable fisheries governance in Africa depends on collective action.

Progress has been remarkable across all regions. Many countries have strengthened their port inspection systems and are “PSMA ready” from a legal and procedural point of view. Others are still in earlier stages, building the internal coordination that is fundamental to effective port controls.

Convening partners

In January 2026, the programme brought together representatives from African regional fisheries bodies, regional monitoring centres and other partners in Tema, Ghana, to assess progress and make further plans.

Representatives from ATLAFCO (Ministerial Conference on fisheries cooperation among African States bordering the Atlantic Ocean) were included, in addition to a delegation from Panama’s Aquatic Resources Authority (ARAP) - a major flag State that has developed cooperation ties with several West African countries involved in the programme.

While the gathering in January marked the close of one funding cycle of the programme, one message was clear – national progress now depends on stronger inter-regional cooperation going forward.

The challenge of interconnected waters

Cases discussed during the meeting demonstrated how frequently incidents of fisheries non-compliance now span jurisdictions in multiple sub-regions. Port States, coastal States and flag States are increasingly spread across different regional blocs.

One case, the reefer Nova Zeelandia in 2023, showed what is possible when cooperation works well. Successful coordination between FCWC and SADC-MCSCC Member States allowed authorities to piece together the full picture of the vessel’s activities. It was a strong example of how information sharing across regions can turn isolated data points into actionable intelligence.

The mobility of foreign fishing fleets poses challenges not only to port States, but to licensing and flagging processes. Vessels can move from one region to another, reflag, or seek new authorisations. Without structured communication between regions, verifying compliance histories and conducting due diligence becomes significantly harder.

Participants in the meeting highlighted how important the programme’s support has been to them, especially in fine tuning and live testing their Advance Request for Entry to Port (AREP) procedure, complementing support received from other partners such as FAO.

From informal contacts to institutional networks

Encouragingly, momentum is building. During the January meeting, the SADC-MCSCC presented a draft Memorandum of Understanding to FCWC, proposing more formalised inter-regional cooperation. Participants also reviewed a broader concept note outlining structured regional and inter-regional collaboration for PSMA implementation across Africa.

These discussions signal a shift toward more institutionalised and predictable systems of information sharing. Building on existing regional mechanisms in West and Southern Africa and working alongside partners including Stop Illegal Fishing has helped the programme demonstrate that cooperation delivers results.

TMT is committed to strengthening systemic, institutionalisesd cooperation and information sharing, between regions. Our approach remains focused on the gradual development of a Pan-African network of regional monitoring and surveillance centres, connected through routine communication channels and shared operational practices. In fisheries governance, as in the oceans themselves, boundaries may exist on maps, but the challenges are shared beyond borders.

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The Intelligence-led fisheries port controls programme is a multi-donor programme by TMT and GFW, currently funded through grants from the government of Norway, the Oak Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore foundation, Oceans 5 and the Shmidt Family Foundation.