Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO)

What Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO) does

FCWC is an intergovernmental regional fisheries body established in 2007 and headquartered in Tema, Ghana, mandated by treaty to coordinate fisheries management across six member states: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Togo. Its core function is to enable joint governance of marine fisheries in the West Central Gulf of Guinea through common rules, monitoring, and enforcement cooperation, addressing the historical problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing that no single state could deter alone.

The organization operates a portfolio of operational products and platforms: the WATF Toolbox for compliance and assessment, a Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) Centre for joint maritime operations, an online communications platform for member-state coordination, a regional data collection system, a regional vessel license list, and a regional transhipment strategy. These are delivered in partnership with technical collaborators including Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF), Global Fishing Watch, IUCN, EFCA, ECOWAS, and FAO, which together supply satellite vessel tracking, capacity building, and policy advisory inputs.

FCWC's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. It is staffed by 14 employees and resourced primarily through multi-year donor programmes led by the European Union (notably the €59M West Africa Sustainable Ocean Programme), with additional support from Norway/NORAD, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, NEPAD, and Oceans 5. Leadership is vested in Secretary-General Dr. Gaston Antoine Djihinto. The organization has no commercial revenue stream; its value derives from convening member states, pooling data, and standardizing fisheries governance on behalf of national governments.

Name

Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO)

Legal name

Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea

Website

https://fcwc-fish.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO) is an intergovernmental body that coordinates fisheries management, monitoring, and enforcement across six West African member states from its headquarters in Tema, Ghana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Fisheries Governance

NAICS

Other Marine Fishing (114119), Animal Production and Aquaculture (112), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Aquaculture (1125)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Foreign Governments (8888), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory & Sanctions Compliance Screening for Maritime Operations (Trade Controls, AML) (TLAHANAL), Agriculture, Fisheries & Food Administration (BPAIAAAO)

Keywords

• Regional fisheries management
• Fisheries monitoring and surveillance
• IUU fishing enforcement
• Marine spatial planning
• Intergovernmental fisheries cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tema

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FCWC coordinates regional fisheries management and combats illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing across six West African member states. It delivers shared fisheries governance, MCS coordination through a Regional MCS Centre, capacity building, and harmonized data collection for shared fish stocks in the West Central Gulf of Guinea. Funding is provided through member state contributions and donor grants (EU, Norway, World Bank, GEF); services are not commercially priced.

Product overview

The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) operates as a regional fisheries organization offering a portfolio of interconnected governance tools and platforms. The core offering consists of the WATF Toolbox for fisheries intelligence, the Regional Monitoring Control and Surveillance Centre (RMCSC) for operational oversight, Online Communications Platform for inter-state coordination, Data Collection System for harmonized statistics, Regional License List for vessel authorization tracking, and Regional Transhipment Strategy for operational management. These products work together to support the organization's mission of sustainable fisheries management and combating IUU fishing across its six member states (Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• West Africa Task Force (WATF): A working group focused on fisheries intelligence and MCS support in West Africa, implementing activities to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Products and services

• WATF Toolbox West Africa Task Force Toolbox providing fisheries intelligence and MCS support tools for combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing across West African member states.
• Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Centre (RMCSC) Regional centre located in Tema, Ghana providing monitoring, control and surveillance capabilities for fisheries management across member states.
• Online Communications Platform Digital platform facilitating communication and information sharing among FCWC member states for coordinated fisheries governance.
• Data Collection System System for collecting and harmonizing fisheries statistics and data across member states including Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria.
• Regional License List Regional record of authorized fishing vessels and licensing information for FCWC member states.
• Regional Transhipment Strategy Framework for managing and monitoring fish transhipment operations across the region to prevent illegal fishing activities.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner for West Africa Task Force, PSMA implementation support, port inspection training, and MCS capacity building
• Stop Illegal Fishing (SIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner for PSMA implementation, port inspection training, and MCS support in West Africa
• Global Fishing WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in PSMA implementation programme providing analytical support and tools for fisheries transparency
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for MarEcoPlan Project on Marine Spatial Planning, Payment for Ecosystem Services, and Nature-Based Solutions. Also partner in WASOP implementation.
• Expertise FrancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLead implementer of WASOP with responsibility for overall programme coordination
• FAO EAF-Nansen ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical and funding partner for fisheries management, data collection, and Small Pelagic Fisheries Management Framework
• FAO FISH4ACPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner supporting sustainable fisheries development in the region
• Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner in WASOP for regional fisheries coordination in West Africa
• European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner in WASOP for MCS coordination and joint patrol activities
• ECOWAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for blue economy strategy alignment and WASOP coordination across 13 coastal countries
• AU-IBARcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ECOWAS Blue Economy Strategy revision and continental alignment process
• JICAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Second Regional Seminar on Aquaculture Development in Abidjan
• SADC MCSCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Our Ocean Conference side event and African Vigilance vision for fisheries transparency across continental Africa
• WorldFish CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for FCWC initiatives

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF): FAO regional fisheries body covering the Eastern Central Atlantic with overlapping mandate on fisheries governance, data collection, and sustainable management; structurally comparable to FCWC.
• Sub-regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC): West-African intergovernmental fisheries body covering a similar member-state footprint and mandate (fisheries coordination, IUU combat, MCS). Already a WASOP implementing partner with FCWC, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• SADC Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (SADC MCSCC): SADC regional MCS coordination centre operating in Southern Africa with a near-identical mandate to FCWC's Regional MCS Centre; already a collaboration partner on African fisheries transparency.
• Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC): Intergovernmental regional fisheries management organisation for tunas in the Indian Ocean; offers directly comparable governance, MCS, and compliance coordination functions to FCWC.
• Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC): Regional fisheries body for Southeast Asia with comparable mandate on sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture development, and capacity building across member states.
• Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA): Regional fisheries body coordinating fisheries policy, MCS, and IUU combat across Pacific Island states; structurally similar to FCWC and often cited as a benchmark regional fisheries organisation.
• Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC): FAO regional fisheries commission for the Western Central Atlantic with a comparable intergovernmental mandate focused on fisheries management, data, and capacity building across Caribbean and adjacent states.

Broad incumbents

• International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT): Larger and longer-established RFMO for Atlantic tunas and tuna-like species; comparable mandate around regional fisheries conservation, MCS, and IUU combat but operating at a broader geographic and species scale.
• Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO): Established RFMO managing fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic with comparable MCS, vessel licensing, and compliance functions; operates in a different geography but with directly analogous institutional design.
• AU-IBAR (African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources): Continental African body coordinating animal resources including fisheries policy; engages FCWC as a partner on continental alignment, providing a broader institutional counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fcwc_cpco
• Facebookfacebook.com/FCWCFish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fcwccpco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC/CPCO)