Pollution, Fisheries and Food (In)Security in the Gulf of Guinea

Ruth Rosenblood, Ankita Gupta & Emily Webster (eds.), Symposium: ‘Transnational Food Security’, Transnational Legal Theory Vol. 9, 2018, Forthcoming

TLI Think! Paper 5/2018

13 Pages Posted: 6 Feb 2018

See all articles by Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood

Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood

King's College London, African Leadership Centre

Date Written: February 2, 2018

Abstract

Fisheries contribute to the food security of more than three billion people globally. In the Gulf of Guinea, it accounts for more than 80 percent of the animal protein and sometimes is the only source of animal protein consumed in littoral communities in Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana and Senegal. However, the pervasiveness of unsustainable practices that are harmful to the marine environment such as pollution, overfishing - illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, coupled with the impact of climate change threatens the resource's ability to continue to contribute to the food security of these communities especially those in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The paper focuses on the role of pollution from oil spillages in undermining the marine environment, thereby exacerbating food insecurity in the region. Using the Bonga oil field spillage as an example, the paper exposes the shortcomings of the existing environmental regulations in Nigeria as contributing to the depletion of the marine environment.

Keywords: Property Law, Development, Transnational Food Security, Gulf of Guinea, fisheries, pollution, environmental regulations, Niger Delta

Suggested Citation

Okafor-Yarwood, Ifesinachi, Pollution, Fisheries and Food (In)Security in the Gulf of Guinea (February 2, 2018). Ruth Rosenblood, Ankita Gupta & Emily Webster (eds.), Symposium: ‘Transnational Food Security’, Transnational Legal Theory Vol. 9, 2018, Forthcoming, TLI Think! Paper 5/2018, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3117284 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3117284

Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood (Contact Author)

King's College London, African Leadership Centre ( email )

London, England
United Kingdom

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