ince Monday, June 22, 2026, Lomé has hosted a five-day regional meeting dedicated to artisanal fishing. Organised with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this meeting brings together government representatives of the Member States of the Central-East Atlantic Fisheries Committee (COPACE), the Central-West Gulf of Guinea Fisheries Committee and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The work focuses in particular on the evaluation of progress in the development of landing sites for artisanal fisheries and on priorities in the collection of fisheries data. Participants will also have to plan a study on the fish-based animal feed industry and review regional policy responses to be implemented, based on contributions from Member States and technical partners.
The meeting will also serve as a framework for the review and adoption of the 2026-2028 work plan of the Working Group on artisanal fisheries (GTPA).
According to the representative of the Minister responsible for Fisheries, Konlani Dindiogue, fishing, mainly artisanal in the country, plays a major role in the national economy. In fact, « regional cooperation is a real necessity to face the challenges facing the sector, including the growing pressure on fish resources, illegal fishing, the effects of climate change and conflicts in the use of maritime space, » he stressed.
The Lomé meeting is part of this dynamic of regional cooperation aimed at providing answers to the structural difficulties of artisanal fishing, in particular its largely informal nature, the insufficiency of official statistics and the overexploitation of fish stocks in the area covered by COPACE.
It should be noted that in Togo, the fisheries sector generates nearly 20,000 tons of fish each year. About 90% of this production is processed by frying, drying or smoking, thus contributing to the income of thousands of players in the value chain.
source : togo first
