Bayo Akomolafe 
Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) Commission has reviewed the draft Action Plan of ECOWAS’ Integrated Maritime Strategy (EIMS) in order to achieve the objectives of the platform in Abidjan. Cote d’Ivoire.
EIMS is a legal instrument that provides a comprehensive reference framework for actions to be taken by the various stakeholders at national and regional levels.
The review brought together different ECOWAS departments, representatives of ECOWAS regional fisheries centers, ECOWAS institutions and agencies and West African Fisheries Commissions.
The general objective of the meeting was to make sure that the technical departments adopt the SMIC Action Plan in order to ensure integrated and coordinated implementation in line with the mission of the ECOWAS Commission.
The organisers of the meeting explained that the specific objective was to ensure that the priorities and actions set out in the Action Plan are in line with the 4X4 goals of the commission’s management of sectoral policies, such as food and nutrition security, marine biodiversity, blue economy, among others.
Three speeches were delivered at the opening ceremony and were delivered by the director of CRESMAO, Commodore Richard Maru Shammah, Country Director, Cote d’Ivoire UNODC, Mr.
Cheikh Toure and resident Representative of ECOWAS in Cote d’Ivoire, Mrs. Fanta Cisse.
In his speech, Commodore Richard Maru Shammah acknowledged the presence of experts at the meeting and recalled the multilateral aspect of the challenges related to the maritime sector, hence, the need for a good adoption of the Action Plan as well as a good implementation on the part of the ECOWAS commission.
