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Emmanuel Koomson

Workshop in Nouakchott Aims to Strengthen Mauritania’s Maritime Monitoring System

Nouakchott, Mauritania — September 24, 2024: A capacity-building workshop took place today at the Hayatt Hotel in Nouakchott, focusing on strengthening Mauritania’s Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS) system to foster sustainable fishing practices. The event, part of the Distant Water Fishing Vessels (DWFV) project, was organized by the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS) […]
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High-Level Stakeholder Meeting Focuses on Foreign Fishing Vessels in Côte d’Ivoire Waters

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — September 19, 2024: A high-level stakeholder engagement meeting was held today at the Palm Club Hôtel in Abidjan, bringing together governmental and maritime experts to address the pressing issue of foreign industrial fishing vessels in Ivorian waters. The event, organized by the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS Africa) and […]
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Fisheries Governance and Inclusive Decision-Making: The Case of Local Artisanal Fisheries Councils in Senegal

Despite its 715 kilometres of coastline and more than 20,000 small-scale fishing boats, Senegal faces an increasing scarcity of fisheries resources. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF), the migration of young fishermen, oil and gas exploration and exploitation leading to the restriction of fishing zones, maritime safety and security concerns, and the installation of fishmeal […]
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SUBMARINE CABLES: Strategic Assets, Vulnerabilities, and the Need to Ensure a Robust Protection and Resilience Framework for Ghana

INTRODUCTION In the early hours of March 14, Ghana experienced a nationwide internet outage that caused unimaginable disruption, crippling our daily life. The two largest telecommunication companies, which accounted for over 70% of the market share, lost data connectivity. Several hours later, information crept in – the problem was caused by damaged submarine cables (also […]
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CLOSED, BUT NOT CLOSED FOR FISHI DECLARING : Declaring The 2024 Fishing Closed Season in Accordance With Section 84 (1) Of The Fisheries Act, 2002 (Act 625)

Ghana, in 2016, took a significant step towards ensuring sustainable fishing with its implementation of the fishing closed season. At the time, the ban was limited to the industrial sector fisheries. It was expanded to cover the artisanal sector fisheries in 2019. Since then, closed seasons have consistently been imposed every year, except in 2020 […]
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Capacity Building Workshop Focuses on Addressing Impacts of Distant Water Fishing in Cameroon

Over 30 representatives from government agencies, civil society organizations, community groups and the media gathered in Douala, Cameroon on May 7th for a one-day capacity building workshop focused on promoting transparency and accountability regarding distant water fishing vessels (DWFVs) operating in the Gulf of Guinea.The workshop, organized as part of the ongoing US State Department […]
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Enforcement of Beneficial Ownership Requirements to Curb Illegal Foreign Participation in Ghana’s Industrial Fisheries Sector

INTRODUCTION Despite the seeming Ghanaian ownership of the industrial fishing fleet in Ghana, the reality is that most of these industrial fishing vessels operate under foreign ownership. The country’s industrial fishery is predominantly reserved for Ghanaians, therefore, both the legal and beneficial ownership of fishing vessels should belong to Ghanaians. In reality, Ghanaians have actively […]
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2023 ENDS WITHOUT ANOTHER FISHERIES OBSERVER: GRADUALLY BLINDING THE EYES OF THE STATE AT SEA

In November 2023, it was reported that another fisheries observer Samuel Abayitey, while on board tuna vessel Marine 707 was missing and there was no information from either the vessel owners or crew about the circumstances leading to his disappearance. The Fisheries Commission (FC) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) have not […]
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VOI Project Dissemination Workshop in Accra

In Accra, Ghana, a dissemination workshop took place on November 2, 2023, at the MJ Grand Hotel. The purpose of this workshop was to share the results of a project that aimed to improve transparency in Ghana’s fisheries sector. The project received funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative and was executed by CEMLAWS Africa […]
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