Belle Mare, Mauritius – 10 September 2025 – The Closing Forum of the ECOFISH Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) in partnership with the Regional Economic Communities (COMESA, EAC, IGAD, SADC), brought together key regional, national, and community stakeholders to review six years of action and prepare for the sustainability of its achievements. 

A Transformative Programme 

Over 62 months of implementation, ECOFISH delivered significant results in four main areas: 

  • Policy and institutional reforms integrated into national and regional frameworks; 
  • Strengthened Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS) capacity, with new tools and enhanced cooperation between States; 
  • Pilot projects in sustainable small-scale fisheries, both inland and marine, improving livelihoods and ready for replication and scaling up; 
  • Regional coordination platform for fisheries and blue economy governance (ESA-SFBE-CP), integrating innovative tools such as BEFSA, FIMS, and FPT-CP, and offering a sustainable cooperation framework for RECs, fisheries organisations, technical partners, and member states. 

For José Maria Troncoso Perera, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Mauritius, the ECOFISH Programme represents much more than a technical initiative: it embodies a shared commitment between the EU and its African and Indian Ocean partners to the sustainable management of fisheries resources. He also recalled that the EU has already invested more than €1 billion in initiatives related to marine protection, the fight against IUU fishing, and the development of a sustainable blue economy, and announced a new €58 million funding package for the Sustainable Western Indian Ocean (SWIO) Programme. 

“ECOFISH is coming to an end, but the partnerships and progress it has fostered are set to last. Let us continue building healthier oceans, stronger economies, and more resilient coastal communities together.” 

Mr. Edgard Razafindravahy, Secretary General of the IOC, reminded participants that over the past five years, ECOFISH has driven major progress: policy and institutional reforms, strengthened MCS capacity, sustainable small-scale fisheries pilot projects, and the establishment of strategic tools such as BEFSA and the Climate-Fisheries Observatory. Efforts against IUU fishing, joint patrols, and the capture of illegal vessels also demonstrated tangible results. As the programme comes to a close, the priority is now to consolidate these gains and transfer them to regional institutions to guarantee sustainability. 

“The fundamental objective is to ensure that the legacy of ECOFISH endures well beyond its official closure, through sustainable systems, tools, partnerships, and institutional frameworks.” 

A Legacy Looking Forward 

The Forum confirmed that ECOFISH’s closure does not mark an end, but a transition. The concrete tools developed — such as BEFSA (Blue Economy Fisheries Satellite Account), the project coordination mechanism, regional networks, and community co-management models — constitute a sustainable and replicable legacy for countries and regional organisations. 

The European Union, the IOC, the RECs, and AU-IBAR reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining and scaling up these achievements, in order to strengthen food security, climate resilience, and the economic sustainability of fisheries in the region. 

ECOFISH Achievements at a Glance 

The ECOFISH Programme, funded by the European Union, has established a sustainable regional architecture for fisheries and blue economy governance in Eastern and Southern Africa. 

  • Institutions: Creation of the ESA-SFBE Coordination Platform, consolidation of the IOC Regional Coordination Centre for Fisheries Monitoring, Control, Surveillance, and Observation, and support to IGAD’s Fisheries Agency. 
  • Alignment: Harmonisation of inland, marine, and small-scale fisheries through nine pilot projects and coordinated reforms among COMESA, EAC, IGAD, and SADC. 
  • Tools: Deployment of the Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS), piloting of the BEFSA satellite account in Kenya and Madagascar, launch of the Fisheries Project Tracker, and production of over 100 tools and publications. 
  • Control: Organisation of joint patrols, reinforcement of MCS infrastructure, and media coverage of reforms. 
  • Policies: Progress towards rights-based fisheries management, co-management, and regional institutional partnerships. 
  • Knowledge: Over 25 regional events, South-South exchanges, and strong involvement of non-state actors and local communities. 
  • Impact of the 9 demonstration projects: The lives of 50,000 families transformed. 

These integrated achievements make ECOFISH a regional lever for resilience, innovation, and inclusive growth in the fisheries sector. 

 

About ECOFISH 

Launched in 2019 with the European Union as its sole financial partner, the ECOFISH Programme aimed to strengthen the sustainability of fisheries and the blue economy in the Indian Ocean and beyond. 

  • Duration & Budget: 62 months (2019–2025), €28 million funded under the 11th EDF. 
  • Implementation: Led by the IOC, with the support of the EU Delegation to Mauritius, in partnership with 4 Regional Economic Communities (COMESA, EAC, IGAD, SADC), LVFO, and LTA. 
  • Beneficiary Countries: 18 ACP countries from Eastern, Southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean region. 
  • Objectives: 
  • Strengthen fisheries policies and governance, 
  • Build capacity for Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS), 
  • Implement 9 sustainable small-scale fisheries pilot projects. 
  • Workplans: Great Lakes Fisheries (LVFO, LTA), coastal fisheries (IOC + RECs, including PRSP), pilot projects, and cross-cutting actions (technical assistance, patrols, evaluations). 
  • Legacy: Creation of the ESA-SFBE-CP Platform as a permanent regional mechanism, integrating concrete tools (BEFSA, information systems, Climate-Fisheries Observatory, regional networks) to ensure sustainability and regional cooperation in fisheries and the blue economy.