Equatorial Guinea becomes Party to the PSMA
© FAO/Matthew CamilleriEquatorial Guinea is the latest FAO Member to become a Party to the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA).
The Agreement entered into force for Equatorial Guinea on 9 October 2025, 30 days after the deposit of its instrument of accession with the Director-General of FAO as the Depositary for the PSMA.
The latest adhesion to the PSMA now takes the number of PSMA Parties to 85. This includes the European Union which acts as one Party on behalf of its Member States. Effectively, the number of States that are now covered by the Agreement has risen to 111, 31 States of which are in Africa – Angola, Benin, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo. The PSMA entered into force in 2016 with 25 Parties.
This latest accession brings the number of coastal States which are now Party to the PSMA to 69%.
The PSMA is the most cost-effective means for States to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It sets minimum standards for Parties to follow to restrict fish caught through IUU fishing from entering the national or international markets.
FAO encourages remaining States to become a Party to the PSMA by depositing their instrument of accession, adherence or acceptance with the FAO Director-General. More information on how a State can become a Party is available here. FAO stands ready to provide support as required through [email protected].