Uganda has pledged to expedite its accession to the World Trade Organisation’s fisheries subsidies agreement, after it and Tanzania remained the only countries in the region yet to sign the pact that entered into force last September.

 

On September 15, 2025, Kenya deposited its instruments of acceptance, joining Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the agreement, which has now brought together 119 members.

State Minister for Trade General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, who led the Uganda government delegation at the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, told The EastAfrican that Uganda’s position has been a protracted process involving consultations among several state agencies and the private sector.

The process has culminated in a government position paper, now before the cabinet secretariat.“In the WTO, this was brought up as a trade issue, but fisheries is not just a trade issue. In Uganda, it is under the Ministry of Agriculture. It's a process that involves coordination, and not something we could rush,” Gen Mbadi said.“The paper is awaiting to be scheduled on the order paper,” said Georgina Nampeera, Assistant Commissioner for External Trade at the Ministry of Trade. Asked how close Uganda is to joining, she said: “If cabinet ministers agree.”What’s in it for Uganda?The agreement targets subsidies to large fishing fleets engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in already overexploited waters, threatening livelihoods and marine resources. Governments are required to monitor and report such activities.

WTO officials estimate that harmful fisheries subsidies amount to about $22 billion annually.

Landlocked Uganda is not a primary target of the agreement, but Gen Mbadi said the deal is important as it guarantees technical assistance and grants to developing countries to improve fisheries management and promote best practices for economic and food security.

“We are not an ocean country but we have a duty to protect our own fishery and the livelihoods supported by it. That's why we are working hard to pass this cabinet paper, and thereafter take it to Foreign Affairs for presentation to WTO, to lodge our instruments of acceptance,” he said.

Uganda’s largest fishery is Lake Victoria – shared with Kenya and Tanzania – alongside lakes Kyoga, Albert and George.

In 2025, the sector earned Uganda $157.83 million in export revenues, up from $138.22 million the previous year, according to Bank of Uganda data.

During the opening session of the 14th ministerial conference, Paraguay, Samoa and St Vincent also acceded to the agreement, taking the number to 119.

Compliance costsFancy Chepkemoi Too, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said Nairobi signed the deal to signal leadership on ocean issues, noting that the country stands to benefit given its 500-kilometre coastline.

Progress on the fisheries deal is one of the few successes that the Geneva-based trade body, often criticised as not working for the global south, has recorded.

It took 22 years for WTO members to reach agreement, with the deal adopted in 2022 at the 12th ministerial conference to curb harmful subsidies and prevent overfishing.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the breakthrough shows that, despite long impasses, multilateral negotiations can still deliver.“

Back in 2022 we also embarked on a second phase of this agreement, seeking additional disciplines on overcapacity and over-fishing. We were almost there, but then we got stuck again. You have a chance during the session on fisheries to lend your support to a way forward to complete these negotiations post-MC14,” she said.

Double-edged swordHowever, experts argue the deal is a double-edged sword for developing countries with numerous islands and extensive coastlines, where small-scale fishers are a major force in the economy and food security. This casts doubt on states’ motivation to enforce the agreement and the benefits of doing so.

Francisco Mari, advocacy officer for global food security, agricultural trade and maritime policy at Bread for the World, said countries such as Vietnam or the Philippines – each accounting for more than 0.8 percent of global fish catch – may face significant administrative demands in monitoring and reporting.

He said, in a Coalition for Fair Fisheries Arrangements newsletter last year, this could strain resources, as compliance requires extensive oversight, while subsidies under the agreement may amount to only a few hundred euros per vessel annually.

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