Second Africa Regional Task Force Meeting in the framework of the GloLitter Partnerships project
The GloLitter Partnerships project, falling under the umbrella of the OceanLitter Progamme of IMO, is jointly implemented by FAO and IMO, and focuses on addressing sea-based sources of marine plastic litter from the fishing and shipping sectors. GloLitter works in 5 key regions, with a total of 30 countries engaged, supporting developing countries, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, in identifying opportunities for the prevention and reduction of sea-based marine plastic litter from the aforementioned sectors.
In the framework of the GloLitter Partnerships project, the Second Africa Regional Task Force Meeting was held in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from 30 June to 4 July 2025. The event was hosted by Madagascar’s Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy (MEPB) and the Ministry of Transports and Meteorology with the Maritime, Port and Waterways Agency, with representatives from eleven African countries attending (Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, The Sudan, Togo, and The United Republic of Tanzania). Port authorities, shipping and fishing companies, environmental authorities and national research centres also joined the discussion.
The purpose of this Second Africa Regional Task Force Meeting was to action and address some of the GloLitter Partnerships Project twinning proposals that were developed during the First Africa Regional Task Force Meeting that took place in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023. Jointly led by IMO and FAO, the meeting advanced participants’ knowledge on integrating international legal frameworks into national policies, optimizing data and research and enhancing regional cooperation.