Major international coalition launches $68 million initiative to save west africa’s collapsing fisheries

A powerful alliance of international organizations has unveiled an ambitious $68 million program to rescue West Africa’s severely depleted fishing industry, which supports millions of livelihoods across the region. The West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme (WASOP), spearheaded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, represents one of the largest coordinated efforts to combat the region’s fisheries crisis.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for West Africa’s coastal communities. According to the FAO, more than half of the region’s fish stocks are being harvested at unsustainable levels due to rampant overfishing by both local and international fleets. This ecological disaster threatens not just marine life, but entire economies—fishing and aquaculture account for roughly 15% of the GDP across West African states. The crisis stems from inadequate regulation and poor planning throughout the region’s waters.

Funded by the European Union over five years, WASOP will operate across 13 coastal nations from Mauritania to Nigeria, targeting illegal fishing operations while working to restore damaged marine ecosystems and build sustainable “blue economy” practices. The program aims to strengthen regional cooperation in managing shared ocean resources that don’t recognize national borders.

“There is a lack of planning and regulation throughout the region, and this project aims to address those needs,” explained Komlan Messie of the Forum of Civil Society Organizations of West Africa. Environmental advocates cautiously welcome the initiative, though they emphasize that success will depend entirely on effective implementation and enforcement across the vast maritime region.