Accra, Ghana – the Government of Liberia, via the National Fisheries & Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) in collaboration with the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA), and the Government of Ghana, via its Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in combating unlawful fishing actions.
The objective of the MoU which was signed Monday November 7, 2022 is to advertise and facilitate cooperation in fisheries inspection and associated actions in addition to seeks to make sure efficient administration and management over flagged-fishing and fishing associated ships of each nations with respect to their nationwide legal guidelines, rules and worldwide conventions to forestall, deter and get rid of unlawful, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Additionally, via the framework of the MoU, the two nations will cooperate in the areas of harmonized inspectorate regime; joint inspection workout routines of fishing and fishing associated vessels; and alternate of data on monitoring, management 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 supplies that the Parties shall cooperate inside the bounds of their respective nationwide legal guidelines and rules in addition to related worldwide conventions to which they’re events.
Furthermore, the doc follows comparable MoU signed on November 2, 2022 between the Republic of Liberia and the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire.
The Director General of NaFAA, 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, Mavis Hawa Koomson signed on behalf of her authorities.
Making remarks at the signing ceremonies, Madam Emma Metieh Glassco recalled the longstanding cordial relations between Ghana and Liberia and that the MoU additional strengthens that already mutually useful relation.
She emphasised that IUU fishing is one of the most extreme issues affecting world fisheries and the important impediment in reaching sustainable fisheries globally, disclosing, “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.”
Concluding her remarks, she instructed the want to make use of the MoU as the first step to strengthening collaboration as member states of ECOWAS and develop program for joint actions in the struggle towards IUU.
For her half, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development of Ghana, Mavis Hawa Koomson recalled the longstanding good relations between Ghana and Liberia and reminded everybody that fishing contributes considerably to the GDPs of Ghana and Liberia.
Speaking about unlawful fishing, Minister Koomson spoke about the billions of {dollars} which can be misplaced via IUU fishing yearly and the social and environmental impacts on affected nations and fishing communities.
She additional burdened the want for Liberia and Ghana to cooperate in the areas of closed fishing and fishery analysis for higher fishery replenishment and fishing final result.
In addition to bettering fisheries governance between the two nations, the MoU can also be a milestone in the efforts by the Liberia Maritime Authority and its agent to make sure that Liberia’s distant waters fleet is successfully monitored to discourage and stop unlawful actions.
In the context of the MoU, that is notably true for the monitoring, controlling and surveillance actions of reefers, fishing vessels and fishing associated vessels in the Liberia Shipping Registry.
The Senior Deputy Commissioner for Maritime Affairs of LiMA, Cllr. Margaret Ansumana and the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and MP for Trobu Constituency, Greater Accra Region of Ghana, 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 advantages of each nations.
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