Government has secured a grant of US$500,000 through Oceans5 to support the review and modernization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Management and Development Law of 2019.
The funding, according to a release, represents an outcome of commitments and partnerships fostered during the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice in 2025, and reinforced at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa in 2026.
The initiative, titled: “Creating Greater Fisheries Transparency in Liberia,” will be implemented by the Environmental Justice Foundation in collaboration with the government through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).
The project aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and governance in the fisheries sector while enhancing the country’s capacity to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
A key objective of the project is to support the incorporation and implementation of the principles of the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which Liberia championed and endorsed during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.
The legal review will also support Liberia’s efforts to ratify the International Labour Organization Work in Fishing Convention (C188), strengthen protections and standards for fishers operating within the sector.
The grant marks a milestone in Liberia’s ongoing fisheries governance reforms and demonstrates growing international confidence in the country’s commitment to sustainable ocean management.
By enhancing transparency measures and strengthening legal frameworks, Liberia aims to improve monitoring, enforcement, and accountability in its fisheries sector.
The initiative is also expected to contribute significantly to address concerns raised under the European Union’s fisheries governance framework, and advance the country’s pathway toward the lifting of the nearly nine-year EU Yellow Card, which has served as a warning mechanism regarding the fight against IUU fishing.
NaFAA Director-General, J. Cyrus Saygbe, who sealed the deal, said, the project underscores the country’s determination to build a transparent, sustainable, and responsible fisheries sector that safeguards marine resources, promotes fair labor standards, and delivers long-term economic benefits for coastal communities and future generations.
