The Government of
Liberia, through the National Fisheries & Aquaculture Authority in
collaboration with the Liberia Maritime Authority, and the Government of Ghana,
through its Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Monday November
7, 2022 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in combating
illegal fishing activities.
The purpose of the
MoU is to promote and facilitate cooperation in fisheries inspection and
related activities. The MoU also seeks to ensure effective administration and
control over flagged-fishing and fishing related ships of both countries with
respect to their national laws and regulations and international conventions to
prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Through the framework of the MoU, the two countries will cooperate in the areas
of harmonized inspectorate regime; joint inspection exercises of fishing and
fishing related vessels; and exchange of information on monitoring, control and
surveillance.
The MOU is in
accordance with Article 6 of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) of the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which provides that the Parties shall
cooperate within the bounds of their respective national laws and regulations
as well as relevant international conventions to which they are parties. It
follows similar MOU signed on November 2, 2022 between the Republic of Liberia
and the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire.
The Director General
of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority of Liberia, Hon. Emma
Metieh Glassco, signed on behalf of the Government of Liberia and the Minister
of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Member of Parliament for Awutu
Senya East Constituency of Ghana Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson signed on behalf of
her government.
Making remarks at the
signing ceremonies, Hon. Emma Metieh Glassco recalled the longstanding cordial
relations between Ghana and Liberia and that the MoU further strengthens that
already mutually beneficial relations. She emphasized that IUU fishing is one of the most severe problems affecting
world fisheries and the main obstacle in achieving sustainable fisheries
globally. The NaFAA DG also disclosed that the MoU will promote and facilitate
cooperation in fisheries inspection and related activities to ensure effective
administration and control over flagged fishing and fishing related vessels of the
respective countries as stated in the purpose of this MoU. Concluding her
remarks, she suggested the need to use the MoU as the first step to
strengthening collaboration as member states of ECOWAS and develop program for
joint actions in the fight against IUU.
For her part, the
Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development of Ghana, Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson recalled the longstanding good relations
between Ghana and Liberia and reminded everyone that fishing contributes
significantly to the GDPs of Ghana and Liberia. Speaking about illegal fishing,
Minister Koomson spoke about the billions of dollars that are lost through IUU
fishing annually and the social and environmental impacts on affected countries
and fishing communities. Hon. Koomson stressed the need for Liberia and Ghana
to cooperate in the areas of closed fishing and fishery research for better
fishery replenishment and fishing outcome.
In addition to
improving fisheries governance between the two countries, the MoU is also a
milestone in the efforts by the Liberia Maritime Authority and its agent to ensure
that Liberia’s distant waters fleet is effectively monitored to deter and
prevent illegal activities. In the context of the MoU, this is particularly
true for the monitoring, controlling and surveillance activities of reefers,
fishing vessels and fishing related vessels in the Liberia Shipping Registry.
The Senior Deputy
Commissioner for Maritime Affairs of the Liberia Maritime Authority, Cllr.
Margaret Ansumana and the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture
Development and MP for Trobu Constituency, Greater Accra Region of Ghana Hon.
Moses Anim, witnessed the program.
In the coming months,
the Liberia Maritime Authority and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture
Authority will operationalize the MOU for the benefits
of both countries.
