Gabon’s Minister of Fisheries, Maritime Affairs and Blue Economy, Aimé Martial Massamba, has been tasked with preparing a fresh fisheries partnership with the European Union. Meeting on Friday, September 18, 2026, at the presidential palace in Port-Gentil, the Council of Ministers authorized the launch of negotiations for a new Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) and its implementing protocol.
The Council also approved the formal notification of Gabon’s position to the European Union and the creation of a national negotiating team, along with a schedule for the various rounds of talks. The government aims to secure a partnership described as renewed, balanced, and mutually beneficial, while safeguarding Gabon’s sovereignty over its fishery resources and their sustainable exploitation.
This move follows Gabon’s denunciation on June 4, 2025, of the fisheries agreement that bound it to the European Union. The protocol signed in June 2021, which expired on June 28, 2026, had allowed up to 33 European vessels to fish for tuna species in Gabonese waters. In return, the EU paid Gabon €1.6 million per year, plus contributions from shipowners.
The renewal of the partnership comes as Libreville and Brussels have already begun discussions on the future of their cooperation in the sector. In June 2026, the European Union expressed willingness to negotiate a “new generation” agreement and a new implementing protocol, taking into account Gabon’s concerns.
Background
The Gabonese government had announced its intention not to renew the agreement in its current form, citing an imbalance detrimental to Gabon, both economically and in terms of local value addition from fishery resources.
It was in this context that the European Union’s ambassador to Gabon, Cécile Abadie, gave an exclusive interview, in which she called for prioritizing dialogue over confrontation, stating: “My wish is that we can sit around the table and discuss each of these points as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
That statement reflected Brussels’ desire to maintain dialogue and pave the way for negotiating a new partnership.
Minister Aimé Martial Massamba has made fisheries sovereignty, the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the development of a sustainable blue economy among his department’s priorities.
Nkili Akieme
