International oceans governance : scientific support : final report, annex XI.
Date: 2018-07-06
Institutions: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Subjects: São Tomé and Príncipe, biodiversity, environmental protection, fisheries policy, fishery management, fishing regulations, governance, marine ecosystem, maritime area, report, scientific cooperation, sustainable development

International Oceans 
Governance - Scientific 
Support 

Final report – Annex XI  

Written by MRAG Europe in association with MRAG Ltd 
March 2018 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) 
Department A – COSME, H2020 SME and EMFF 

Contact: Unit A3 – EMFF  

E-mail:  EASME-EMFF@ec.europa.eu  

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

International Oceans 
Governance - Scientific 
Support  

Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) 
EASME/EMFF/2016/031 

2018 

EA-01-18-737-EN-N 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contents 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECTS ................................................. 6 

LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................... 1 

1. 

2. 

BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 1 

PROGRESS ON SDG 14 TARGET ............................................................................... 3 

2.1.  Overview ..................................................................................................... 3 
2.2.  Progress with MDGs ...................................................................................... 7 
2.3.  Delivery across SDGs .................................................................................... 7 
Marine  protected  areas  in  Sao  Tome  and  Principe  were  reported  at  0%  according  to 

the World Bank. ......................................................................................... 13 

3. 

SUPPORT FOR BETTER OCEAN GOVERNANCE .......................................................... 15 

4.  GOOD PRACTICE AND LESSONS LEARNT ................................................................ 19 

SWOT ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................... 20 

1 

2 

3 

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 21 

SUMMARY SWOT TABLE ........................................................................................ 22 

SWOT DEFINITION ............................................................................................... 24 

Strengths .................................................................................................. 24 
3.1 
3.2  Weaknesses ............................................................................................... 26 
3.3  Opportunities ............................................................................................. 29 
Threats ..................................................................................................... 30 
3.4 

4 

SWOT LEVEL 2 COMBINATIONS ............................................................................. 31 

Strengths and Opportunities – “Natural Opportunities” .................................... 32 
4.1 
4.2 
Strengths and Threats – “Threats that can be defended” ................................. 34 
4.3  Weaknesses and Opportunities – “Attractive Opportunities” ............................. 35 
4.4  Weaknesses and Threats – “High Risk Scenarios” ........................................... 36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 

ISBN 978-92-9202-364-5 
doi: 10.2826/54587 
© European Union, 2018 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECTS 

National IUU Risk Assessment – Sao Tomé and Principe 

Element 

Title 

Description 

Improved  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  MCS 
resources and reduction of IUU through the adoption 
of  a  Sao  Tomé  and  Principe  national  IUU  risk 
assessment   

SDG Target 

14.4 (and impacts on 14.5 implementation) 

Country or Region 

Sao Tomé and Principe 

Main  challenge(s)  or  gap(s) 
which project addresses 

Identifies  IUU  risks  to  Sao  Tomé  and  Principe  (by 
source  (e.g.  longline  fishing  vessels),  time  period 
(e.g.  seasonality),  by  geography 
(e.g.  areas 
including  MPAs),  likelihood  and  impact)  across  their 
national waters. 

Allows  MCS  authorities  to  better  understand  the 
risks  that  Sao  Tomé  and  Principe  is  facing  and  to 
include  the  risk  assessment  in  a  national  MCS 
strategy / NPOA-IUU to better target limited national 
resources.   

Each  national  IUU  risk  assessment  will  feed  into  a 
regional  MCS  strategy  allowing  shared  resources  to 
be  better  deployed  and  managed  and  understand 
risks  shared  between  States  and  how  these  can  be 
deterred an mitigated against. 

Suspected high levels of IUU fishing reported in São 
Tomé and Príncipe waters. 

STP  flag  has  previously  been  used  as  a  flag  of 
convenience. 

High level of non-compliance with existing laws, due 
to the weak mechanisms of its enforcement; 

Ignorance of the law by the STP citizens; 

Coastal  fisheries  resources  have  experienced  a 
decrease  with  observed  signs  of  depletion  of  the 
resources near the coast. 

Objective 

Reduction in the level of IUU observed / estimated in 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

Element 

Description 

Sao Tomé and Principe over a five year period. 

More  effective  and  efficient  use  of  limited  national 
MCS  resources,  incorporating  risk  assessment  into 
MCS planning. 

Better  managed  fisheries  and  a  desire  to  increase 
legal, reported catches towards MSY. 

Link  in  with  the  WARFP  Component  2  (Reduction  of 
Illegal Fishing) to reduce IUU 

Main elements of the project 

The main elements of the project workplan to enable 
achievement of the objective(s) would include: 

  Assessment to risks to fisheries in Sao Tomé and 

Principe in particular tuna fisheries. 

  Set up / modification of systems to collect MCS 

indicator data. 

  Assessment of Sao Tomé and Principe in relation 
to key compliance indicators (domestic, national 
and foreign fleets)  

  Assessment of national capacity to deter and 

combat IUU fishing 

  Clear identification of national priorities, highest 
risks and requirements to combat these risks. 

Implementing Organisation * 

To  be  confirmed  but  assumed  STP  Department  of 
Fisheries. 

Project Manager * 

To be confirmed 

Associated Organisations * 

Resource requirements *  

Timeframe 

Expected impact 

  ICCAT; 
  Sub regional fisheries commission (SFRC); 
  Ministerial  Conference  on  Fisheries  Cooperation 
among  African  States  bordering  the  Atlantic 
Ocean (ATLAFCO); and  

  Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central 

Atlantic (CECAF).  

Consultancy  Team  with  experience  of  previous 
regional  MCS  strategies  and  Indian  Ocean  fisheries 
(offshore and inshore). 

Inputs from Fisheries Surveillance Unit (FISCAP) and 
Fisheries Secretariat to feed into risk assessment 

The project should be completed over a three month 
period  (with  the  overarching  regional  MCS  strategy 
over a longer nine month period). 

Better managed national and regional MCS resources 
targeted at high risk elements of fisheries in national 
waters in the short term onwards. 

Reduction in IUU fishing in the long term. 

This  will  it  is  envisaged  lead  to  better  managed 
fisheries and increases in yield over the long term. 

 
Element 

Description 

Financial Requirements * 

Not  available  at  this  time.  It  is  envisaged  that  a 
tender  process  for  technical  services  would  be 
required. 

Other SDG targets 

Interrelations 

14.5  –  Better  management  for  and  reduced  risks 
related  to  IUU  fishing  in  MPAs  and  related  damage 
this may cause. 

Projects  listed  in  the  current  SFPA  sectoral  support 
matrix  are  covering  337,000  EUR  in  investments 
related to IUU control and surveillance activities. The 
project will look at utilising these current activities to 
build upon successes. 

Go WAMER : gouvernance, politiques de gestion des 
ressources  maritimes  et  réduction  de  la  pauvreté 
dans  l’écorégion  WAMER  on  improving  fisheries 
management  and  in  particular  MCS  links  with  the 
small-scale fisheries. 

of 

fishing 

West  Africa  Regional  Fisheries  Program  (WARFP)1  – 
Aim  is  :  Reduction  of  Illegal  Fishing  indicator: 
by 
Reduction 
aerial/surface  patrol  or  by  radar  and  satellite 
monitoring,  that  are  committing  a  serious  infraction 
(i.e.  fishing  without  a  license,  or  fishing  in  a 
prohibited  zone  or  using  prohibited  gear).  Ended  in 
2016 but is “to be extended”. 

observed 

vessels 

Links to PESCAO project / WARFP. 

Comments 

Note: * indicates additional elements above and beyond those described in the tender 
specification  but  that  from  our  experience  would  be  of  benefit  in  describing  at  this 
stage. 

1 http://www.spcsrp.org/en/warfp-guinea-bissau  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

Training and curriculum development – São Tomé and Príncipe 

Element 

Title 

Description 

Increase  national  capacity  to  deliver  SDG  14  goals 
through development of national training courses 

SDG Target 

All SDG 14, mainly 14.4 

Country or Region 

São Tomé and Príncipe 

Main  challenge(s)  or  gap(s) 
which project addresses 

Objective 

Main elements of the project 

Implementing Organisation * 

A  lack  of  high level  national  research  education  and 
training  at  tertiary  level  is  detrimental  to  the 
necessary  skills  and  training  and  also  renewal  of 
high-skilled civil servants. Long-term training of staff 
outside  Morocco  will  be  costly  and  will  limit  the 
ability of the country to renew its high-level staff. 

To  strengthen  national-level  skills  and  share 
knowledge  of  all  SDG  14  related  targets  through 
development  of  long-term  national  curricula  in 
tertiary education and short-term training courses at 
a national and regional level. 

  Conduct a needs assessment to identify specific 
gaps in national personnel skills and experience 
related to SDG 14 goals (particularly 14.4). 

  Development of short-term national and regional 
training plans relevant to SDG 14 (particularly 
14.4). 

  Development of long-term national curricula to 

address specific needs within tertiary education. 
  Conduct short-term national and regional training 
courses (where applicable) in specific SDG 14 
related themes. 

Due  to  the  lack  of  a  single  coordinating  authority 
across  SDGs  in  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  it  is 
recommended  that  if  and  when  such  an  authority is 
given or takes this responsibility that this should also 
coordinate  training  of  personnel  and  develop  SDG 
relevant courses. 

Project Manager * 

To be confirmed based on hosting organisation 

Associated Organisations * 

These  may  include  range  of  national  and  regional-
level  organisations  that  have  developed  elements  of 
training: 

German  Federal  Ministry 
for  the  Environment, 
Nature  Conservation,  Building  and  Nuclear  Safety 
for  Enhanced 
(BMUB)  -  Capacity  Development 
Marine Management in West Africa (CD MaMaWA). 

World  Network  of  Island  and  Coastal  Biosphere 
Reserves (WNICBR) 

Training 

in 

fisheries-related  subjects  may  be 

 
Element 

Description 

Resource requirements *  

coordinated  by  regional  fisheries  bodies,  including 
ICCAT and/or CECAF, for example. 

Needs  assessment  to  be  carried  out  throughout 
various national-level institutions. Would be efficient 
to  have  single  entity  to  coordinate  activity  and 
present outcome. 

External 
knowledge in one or more SDG 14 target. 

required 

trainers 

to  provide  expert 

Experts  can  either  attend  regional-level  training  (at 
national or institution or  regional body) but  regional 
meetings will incur additional travel and subsistence 
costs  for  outside  nations.  However,  regional-level 
meetings  can  provide  valuable  transfer  of  skills  and 
knowledge.  Alternatively,  short-term  national-level 
courses can be held within host institutions.  

Timeframe 

Needs assessment to be conducted within 12 months 

Training modules for specific SDG-related institutions 
to be developed within months 12 – 24. 

Tertiary  level  curricula  development  for  national 
colleges within months 12 – 24. 

Specific  SDG-related  training  courses  implemented 
at  a  national  and  regional  level  initiated  within  2 
years. 

Elements  of specific SDG-related goals implemented 
within national colleges within 2 years. 

Expected impact 

  Increase in national education in SDG 14 related 

Financial Requirements * 

goals. (Medium term – 24 months) 

  Increase in number and skills of national level 

experts capable of implementing SDG 14 goals. 
(Medium term - 24 months) 

  Increase national capacity to deliver SDG 14 

goals (Long term). 

To  be  determined  following  detailed  national  needs 
assessment  to  confirm,  amongst  other  things,  the 
type  of  training  required  and  number  of  staff.  This 
will  include  training  materials  and  costs  associated 
with  hosting  short-term  national  and/or  regional 
training courses and workshops. 

Other SDG targets 

All – training could be developed to ensure personnel 
are competent in delivering on all SDG targets. 

Interrelations 

Specific  maritime  training  is  pursued  overseas, 
mainly  in  Europe  and  Africa.  This  allows  civil 
servants  and  researchers  to  bond  with  international 
colleagues, offering the ability to extend the national 
networks.  

 
 
Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

Element 

Description 

Comments 

Coordination  between  other  regional  institutions  to 
identify  and  develop  core  training  curriculum  for 
each SDG target. 

Opportunities  should  be  explored  to  develop  and 
host/attend  regional  training  courses  in  the  short-
term  whilst  at  the  same  time  developing  national-
level  education  and  training  curricula  in  the  long-
term. 

Note: * indicates additional elements above and beyond those described in the tender 
specification  but  that  from  our  experience  would  be  of  benefit  in  describing  at  this 
stage. 

 
 
 
 
Marxan with zones study to identify candidate MPAs – Sao Tomé and Principe 

Element 

Title 

Description 

Identification  of  candidate  MPAs  in  Sao  Tomé  and 
Principe  for  discussion  through  a  Marxan  with  zones 
study 

SDG Target 

14.5  

Country or Region 

Sao Tomé and Principe 

Main  challenge(s)  or  gap(s) 
which project addresses 

Sao Tomé and Principe is not likely meet the SDG 14.5 
target  of  MPA  coverage  by  the  target  date  of  2020.  
Currently there are no MPAs declared, with a UNESCO 
biospehere  around  the  island  of  Principe  and  the  Ilots 
Tinhosas  Wetlands  of 
Importance 
(Ramsar)  being  the  only  notable  areas  of  protection.  
Scientific  support  using  identified  “good”  practice  as 
employed  in  the  Seychelles  for  the  same  purpose  is 
recommended 
for 
discussion.   

candidate  MPAs 

International 

identify 

to 

Objective 

the  experience  of 

the  Seychelles 
Building  on 
(Seychelles  Marine  Spatial  Planning  (MSP)  Initiative 
and  The  Nature  Conservancy)  in  identifying  candidate 
areas  for  MPAs  using  a  Marxan  with  zones  approach 
this project will replicate this process in the Sao Tomé 
and Principe. 

The  objective  would  be  to  develop  candidate  MPAs  in 
Sao  Tomé  and  Principe  to  meet  the  required  level  of 
coverage within 3 years. 

Main elements of the project 

The  main  elements  of  the  project  workplan  to  enable 
achievement of the objective(s) would include: 

Identification of data sources required; 
Stakeholder inputs into process; 

 
 
  Data collection; 
  Development of candidate MPAs; 
 
 

Secondary stakeholder consultation; and 
Provision of advice to meet necessary SDG 
target of 10% coverage. 

This  would  be  implemented  using  a  Marxan  with 
zones style analysis.  Marxan is the most widely used 
decision  support  software  for  conservation  planning 
globally.  It's  used  in  184  countries  to  build  marine 
and terrestrial conservation systems and is the global 
leader  in  conservation  land  and  sea  use  planning 
software. 

Implementing Organisation *  To be confirmed 

Project Manager * 

To be confirmed. 

 
 
Sao Tome and Principe national sheet 

Element 

Description 

Associated Organisations * 

Seychelles  Marine  Spatial  Planning  (MSP)  Initiative 
(http://seymsp.com/)  

The 
(https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/africa/
wherewework/seychelles.xml)  

Nature 

Conservancy 

https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments/?id=17
923  

Resource requirements *  

GIS Software and trained operator(s). 

Timeframe 

Data to provide inputs to the Marxan analysis. 

Overall – 3 years including lengthy data collection and 
stakeholder  consultation  phases  to  ensure  the  correct 
outputs  are  achieved  and  all  stakeholder  groups  are 
included in the process. 

Expected impact 

SDG  14.5  MPA  target  of  10%  achieved  by  Sao  Tomé 
and Principe within three years. 

Financial Requirements * 

GIS capable computer and software (approx. €3,000) 

Staff costs – TBC 

Technical  assistance  on  design  and  implementation 
from Seychelles. 

Other SDG targets 

14.2 – Opportunities for habitat restoration in MPAs 

14.5  –  MPAs  may  in  some  cases  improve  fisheries 
management,  though  care  should  be  taken  on  the 
need for increased MCS in MPAs after declaration. 

Several  countries  have  been  identified  as  requiring 
similar  analysis  (including  Liberia,  Guinea  Bissau  and 
Morocco  in  West  Africa).  Shared  experience  would  be 
of benefit to all countries particularly where large scale 
MPAs  have  been  defined  already  e.g.  Gabon,  Guinea 
Bissau and Seychelles. 

Interrelations 

Comments 

Note: * indicates additional elements above and beyond those described in the tender 
specification  but  that  from  our  experience  would  be  of  benefit  in  describing  at  this 
stage. 

 
 
 
LITERATURE REVIEW 

EASME/EMFF/2016/031 

International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support  

São Tomé and Príncipe, Literature Review 

1.  BACKGROUND 

The  Democratic  Republic  of  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  a  small  country  composed  of  an 
archipelago located in the Gulf of Guinea of the equatorial Atlantic Ocean off the western 
equatorial  coast  of  Central  Africa.  The  archipelago  comprises  two  larger  islands  and 
some  islets  which  are  mostly  uninhabited  due  to  their  irregular  size  and  morphology. 
With a total population of 178,739  inhabitants (General Population and Housing Census 
2012)2,  both  islands  occupy  an  area  of  1,001  km²  (387  mi2).  The  island  of  São  Tomé 
covers  an  area  of  approximately  850  km²  (328  mi2)  and  the  Príncipe  island  an  area  of 
approximately 300 km² (116 mi2). The latter is located approximately 150 km (93 mi) to 
the north of São Tomé Island.  

São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  has  an  overall  Ocean  Health  Index3  ranking  of  195  among  221. 
The  country’s  Exclusive  Economic  Zone  (EEZ)  extends  to  165,345  km²  (63,840  mi 2) 
sharing maritime boundaries with Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.4 

The country held its first free and transparent elections in 1991 and became one of the 
first  African  countries  to  adopt  democratic  reforms  that  resulted  in  changes  in  the 
constitution,  including  the  legalization  of  political  parties,  being  a  multiparty,  semi-
presidential, democratic system since its independence from Portugal in 1975. São Tomé 
and  Príncipe  is  a  lower  middle  income,  developing  small  island  state  with  a  fragile 
economy. It is highly vulnerable to exogenous shocks. The main driver of growth in the 
country  is  government  expenditure.  Agriculture  has  been  a  strongly  performing  sector 
and tourism an important and growing activity but they are unable to support growth on 
an  economy-wide  basis.  It  is  estimated  that  government  expenditures  amounted  to 
34.2%  of  Gross  Domestic  Product  (GDP)  in  2015,  of  which  capital  spending  accounted 
for 15.3% of GDP. Oil exploration has been taking place since 2012; however production 

2 http://www.ine.st/demografia.html 

3 http://www.oceanhealthindex.org/region-scores/scores/sao-tome-and-principe 

4 http://www.seaaroundus.org/data/#/eez/678?chart=catch-chart&dimension=taxon&measure=tonnage&limit=10 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
isn’t expected until after 2020. It is currently ranked 76 out of 175 countries in the 2014 
Transparency  International  corruption  perceptions  index  and  is  166  out  of  189 
economies in the 2016 Doing Business report, down three spots from 20155. 

According to African Development Bank, the economy was estimated to have grown by 
5%  in  2016,  led  by  agricultural  investment  and  tourism.  Growth  is  set  to  continue  in 
2017 and 2018 by 5.5% on average but the economy depends on inputs and technology 
from  abroad.  While  it  has  a  very  limited  industrial  ecosystem,  the  government  has  no 
industrialisation strategy. The country has improved on the Mo-Ibrahim Index of African 
Governance moving to 11th place in 2016 from 13th in 2015 reflecting efforts to improve 
good  governance6.  Under  the  dimensions  of  governance  (political  stability,  government 
effectiveness, rule of law and control of corruption), São Tomé and Príncipe was ranking 
eighth of the countries surveyed in 2009 in descending order at a regional level, ranking 
82nd in the 2011 WGI ranking for all countries7 but lowering twenty positions from 2008 
(62nd). Figure 1 shows the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators for São Tomé 
and Príncipe in 2016. 

Figure 1: World Governance Indicators; Voice and Accountability (V&A), Political Stability 
and  Absence  of  Violence  (PSNV),  Government  Effectiveness  (GE),  Regulatory  Quality 
(RQ), Rule of Law (RoL) and Control of Corruption (CoC)8 

5 http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/saotome/overview 

6 https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/AEO_2017_Report_Full_English.pdf 

7 http://world-governance.org/IMG/pdf_WGI_short_version_EN_web-2.pdf  

8 http://info.worldbank.org/governance/WGI/#home 

Page 2 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

While the high poverty rate remains an issue, this small island developing State (SIDS) 
is  advancing  toward  meeting  the  targets  on  universal  primary  education,  infant 
mortality,  and  eradication  of  Malaria  by  2015.  The  Government  also  expects  significant 
progress in combating HIV/AIDS and in achieving gender equality. In 2015, net foreign 
debt (total debt minus reserves) as a share of GDP presented very high ratios (117 % of 
GDP),  raising  issues  of  debt  sustainability  (MDG  8:  Develop  a  global  partnership  for 
development).9 The improvement in the provision of social services has been reflected in 
the country’s ranking in the Human Development Index10 (HDI) – in 2015 it was ranked 
142 out of 187 countries.  

According  to  the  United  Nations  Office  of  the  High  Representative  for  Least  Developed 
Countries,  Landlocked  Developing  Countries  and  Small  Island  Developing  States  (UN-
OHRLLS)11, São Tomé and Príncipe is classified as a least developed country12 (LDC), and 
also small island developed state (SIDS). It is strongly constrained by the insular nature 
of  the  country,  its  fragility,  as  well  as  by  the  resource  constraints  and  the  weakness  of 
the absorption capacity. This results in an extreme vulnerability to external shocks and a 
strong  dependence  on  official  development  assistance  (ODA),  which  funds  more  than 
90% of investment spending (averaging 93.6% over the period 2012-2015)13.  

There is paucity of data on progress with SDG 14 and it appears that none of the SDG 14 
targets  has  been  adopted.  In  addition  to  the  constraints  mentioned  above,  experience 
from delivering the MDGs and other information available highlighted a number of other 
challenges  that  could  thwart  progress  with  SDG  14.  This  includes  lack  of  regulation  or 
weak  enforcement  coupled  with  high  levels  of  IUU  and  non-compliance  and  limited 
capacity both in terms of specialised skills and institutions / governing structures.  

2.  PROGRESS ON SDG 14 TARGET 

2.1.  Overview 

International level 

São Tomé and Príncipe is a member of Portuguese Speaking African Countries and East-
Timor  (PALOP-TL),  a  longstanding  cooperation  that  covers  a  large  spectrum  of  themes 
including  cultural,  economic,  social,  and  political  components  that  is  financed  through 
the European Development Fund (EDF).  

It  is  also  a  member  of  the  intergovernmental  organization Community  of  Portuguese 
Language  Countries (CPLP)  that  operates  as  a  privileged  multilateral  forum  for  the 
mutual  cooperation  of  the  governments  of  its  members,  on  both  executive  and 
ministerial levels, non-governmental organizations, and the various branches of the CPLP 
itself. Both PALOP-TL and CPLP are notably helping member countries to integrate SDGs 

9  http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/mdg/mdg-reports/africa-collection.html 

10 http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI 

11 http://unohrlls.org/sao-tome-and-principe/ 

12 https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/ldc_list.pdf 

13http://www.st.undp.org/content/dam/sao_tome_and_principe/docs/Centre%20de%20press/undp_st_GLAgenda

_En.pdf?download 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 3 

 
 
 
                                                 
in  their  national  policies  and  strategies,  fostering  the  capacity  building.  CPLP  aims  to 
establish Focal Points for the SDG by deepening the cooperation within the scope of the 
organization.14 

São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  a  member  of  the  International  Organisation  of  La 
Francophonie.  The  Francophonie  is  implementing  a  specific  initiative  called  the  Institut 
de la Francophonie pour le Développement Durable (IFDD), which notably helps member 
countries  to  integrate  SDGs  in  their  national  policies  and  strategies,  but  also  fosters 
capacity building.  

The country has signed several relevant environmental related international conventions, 
protocols and agreements at international level: 

  United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); 
  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity  and  the  Framework  Convention  on  Climate 

Change and Convention on Fight Desertification; 

  Convention  on  the  International  Trade  of  Endangered  Species  of  the  Wild  Fauna 

and Flora (CITES); 

  Bonn  Convention  on  the  Conservation  of  Migratory  Species  of  Wild  Animals 

(CMS); 

  Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer; 
  Montreal  Protocol  on  Substances  that  Deplete the  Ozone  Layer,  as  well  as  all its 
amendments: London, Montreal, Copenhagen and Beijing, all joined in 2001; 
  Convention  establishing  the  International  Union  for  Conservation  of  Nature  and 

 
 

Natural Resources (IUCN);  
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs);  
 Convention  on  Wetlands  of  International  Importance,  Especially  as  Waterfowl 
Habitat (RAMSAR);  

  Basel  Convention  on  the  Trans-Boundary  Movement  of  Hazardous  Wastes  and 

Their Disposal  

  Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC);  
  Nagoya  Protocol  on  Access  to  Genetic  Resources  and  the  Fair  and  Equitable 
Sharing  of  Benefits  Arising  from  their  Utilization  to  the  Convention  on  Biological 
Diversity; 

  Obtained  REDD+  certification  and  also  intends  to  develop  a  national  legal 
framework  on  biosafety  and  promote  scientific  research  within  the  scope  of 
biotechnology; and 

  Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  

The  country  is  a  participating  country  in  the  Small  Island  Developing  States  Technical 
Cooperation Programme (SIDSTEC) that aims to foster mutual learning, cooperation and 
friendship amongst countries to promote sustainable development and the achievement 
of the original Millennium Development Goals.15 

São Tomé and Príncipe is listed as partner in several international initiatives aiming at 
improving its profile for several SDGs: 

  Fostering  the  conservation  and  sustainable  use  of  marine  Biological  Diversity 
through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) by Germany, Federal Ministry for 

14 https://www.cplp.org/id-4447.aspx?Action=1&NewsId=4975&M=NewsV2&PID=10872  

15 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/961sids-sids_success_stories.pdf  

Page 4 

 
 
 
                                                 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

the  Environment,  Nature  Conservation,  Building  and  Nuclear  Safety  (BMUB)  – 
SDG 14;16 
Integrated  Water  and  Wastewater  Resource  Management  in  Atlantic  and  Indian 
Ocean SIDS – SDG 5, 6, 13, 14 and 17;17 

 

  Network of African Youths for Development SDGs (NAYDSDGs) – SDG 17;18 
  Lighthouses Initiative – SDG 7 and 8;19 
  World Network of Island and Coastal Biosphere Reserves (WNICBR) – SDG 14;20 
  Atlantic and Indian Ocean SIDS Integrated Water Resources Management Project 

– SDG 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17;21 

  Access to Energy for Development – SDG 7.22 

Regional level 

At the regional level, Guinea-Bissau is participating in several RFMOs23: 

ICCAT; 

 
  Ministerial  Conference  on  Fisheries  Cooperation  among  African  States  bordering 

the Atlantic Ocean (ATLAFCO);  

  Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF); and 
  Regional Commission of Fisheries of Gulf of Guinea (COREP). 

Most of these RFMOs push for the adoption of targets linked to SDG 14 at the regional 
and national levels. 

São Tomé and Príncipe is a member of the African Union (AU) and is also part of the 
Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem project (CCLME) funded by GEF. This project is 
part of the Abidjan Convention and aims at improving transboundary cooperation on 
sustainability issues.24 

The  Guinea  Current  Large  Marine  Ecosystem  (GCLME)  project  –  currently  being 
implemented  –  has  established  cooperative  arrangements  both  with  the  Convention  for 
Cooperation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal 
Environment  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  of  the  West,  Central  and  Southern  Africa  Region 

16 https://oceanconference.un.org/commitments/?id=16304  

17 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=11420  

18 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=11352  

19 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=7963  

20 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=7771  

21 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=7480  

22 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=665  

23 http://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/STP/es  

24 http://www.fao.org/in-action/canary-current-lme/background/the-cclme-project/en/  

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

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(Abidjan Convention) and the SRFC. This enables the participating countries to address 
priority  transboundary  concerns  on  declining  status  of  fisheries,  associated  biodiversity 
and water quality. São Tomé and Príncipe is one of the member states in the convention 
area which is in the process of ratifying the Abidjan Convention.25 

The  UNEP-UNDP  GEF  -  funded  GCLME  projects  in  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  included  the 
improvement  of  the  sustainability  of  the  fisheries  and  reducing  land  and  sea-based 
pollution: 

-  Combating living resources depletion and coastal area degradation in the Guinea 

- 

Current LME through ecosystem-based regional actions (2004 – 2012);26 
Facilitating  Financing  for  Sustainable  Forest  Management  in  SIDS  and  LFCCs 
(2011 – 2015).27 

National level 

The  commitment  to  implement  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  is  embedded  in  the 
country’s  Vision  2030  Transformation  Agenda28,  which  is  the  basis  for  achieving  long-
term national development objectives. 

The  vision  of  the  National  Biodiversity  Strategy  and  Action  Plan29  (2015-2020)  (NBSAP 
II)  is  based  on  results  obtained  from  studies  carried  out  in  five  thematic  areas, 
subsequently adopted as strategic areas (axes) for intervention in the final version of the 
document.  These  strategic  areas  comprise:  the  conservation  of  marine  and  coastal 
ecosystems;  the  conservation  of  inland  waters  ecosystems;  the  conservation  of  forest 
ecosystems;  the  conservation  of  agrarian  ecosystems;  and  the  strengthening  of  the 
institutional,  legal  and  socioeconomic  framework,  as  a  cross-cutting  theme  in  all 
strategic  areas.  Each  project  is  associated  to  responsible  bodies,  partners  (national, 
international  and  financial),  objectives,  activities,  estimated  costs,  among  other 
elements.  It  should  be  noted  that  activities  are  of  a  preliminary  nature  and  will  be 
continued  beyond  2020,  as  necessary.  While  it  was  not  possible  to  implement  all  the 
measures  proposed  in  the  first  NBSAP  prepared  in  2005,  important  steps  were  taken, 
with the designation of the Island of Príncipe as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. 

São Tomé and Príncipe government will set aside two large areas of the national territory 
dedicated to the settlement of  economic operators with special features and substantial 
incentives. The New Frontier Park I will be dedicated to the industry and trade, as well as 

25 http://abidjanconvention.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=201&lang=en 

26 http://gclme.iwlearn.org/documents-centre/gclme-countries/sao-tome-e-principe  

27 https://www.thegef.org/project/sfm-facilitating-financing-sustainable-forest-management-sids-and-lfccs  

28 

http://www.st.undp.org/content/dam/sao_tome_and_principe/docs/Centre%20de%20press/undp_st_GLAgenda_En.
pdf?download 

29 https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/st/st-nbsap-v2-en.pdf 

Page 6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

to  the  business  tourism,  whilst  the  New  Frontier  Park  II  would  be  aligned  to  the  Eco-
friendly  initiatives  in  the  field  of  tourism,  agriculture  and  innovation.  The  Public 
Investment will focus on the following elements:  

-  Rural  development,  especially  those  areas  that  contribute  to  increase  the 

productivity of crops and the insertion of markets, by best paths;  

-  Poverty Reduction in coastal area, by combining these populations to the touristic 

activities and the sea;  
-  Quality of care of health;  
- 

Improvement  of  the  quality  of  all  levels  of  education  and  vocational  training;  - 
Production  and  the  implementation  of  reform  texts  and  the  introduction  of  e-
governance;  

-  Strengthening  the  capacity  to  absorb  investment  and  official  development 

assistance; and 

-  Preserving  and  protecting  the  environment  and  the  coherence  of  the  land 

development. 

In  response to the national development challenges outlined above, the Government of 
São Tomé and Príncipe has drafted  National Poverty Reduction Strategies (SNRPs). The 
current strategy is the second five-year Poverty Reduction Strategy (SNRP-II)30, covering 
the  2012-2016  period.  Its  general  strategic  objectives  are  to:  (i)  achieve  GDP  growth 
rate  of  at  least  6  per  cent  (creating  the  conditions  for  consistent  diversification  of  the 
economy); (ii) reduce by 10 per cent the percentage of the population living in poverty 
(promoting  income  generating  activities  and  as  a  result  improving  the  population’s 
productive  capacity);  and  (iii)  ensure  that  the  entire  population  has  facilitated  and 
improved access to basic social services. 

2.2.  Progress with MDGs  

With  regard  to  achieving  the  Millennium  Development  Goals  (MDGs),  UNDP  provided 
support  for  the  efforts  made  by  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  to  achieve  MDGs  6  and  7  in 
particular, and also MDG 1. According to the 2015 Africa MDG Report31, São  Tomé and 
Príncipe  reported  the  highest  unmet  need  for  family  planning  in  Africa.  Regarding 
malaria,  while  the  island  of  Príncipe  has  now  reached  the  pre-elimination  phase,  São 
Tomé  Island  is  experiencing  low  transmission  rates.  In  2016,  Sao  Tome  and  Príncipe 
received its third Award for Excellence from the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) 
for  achieving  the  Millennium  Development  Goal  6  on  malaria.  The  prevalence  of 
HIV/AIDS  decreased  by  two  thirds  between  2009  and  2015  (i.e.  1.5%  to  0.5%).  The 
country  is  considered  to  be  one  of  the  best  performers  on  the  right  track  in  terms  of 
reducing their consumption of Ozone-depleting substances, achieving a reduction of over 
95 per cent between 2000 and 2012.  

2.3.  Delivery across SDGs 

On May 2017, the  Minister  of Finances,  Trade  and Blue Economy launched the National 
Ocean Consultations in the District of Lobata in the north of the country, which was part 

30 

https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Project-and-Operations/STP%20-%20CSP%202012%20-

%202016.pdf 

31 2015 Africa MDG report 

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of  the  preparations  for  the  Ocean  Conference  held  on  5-9  June  2017  in  New  York.  The 
Minister  recalled  the  importance  of  SDG  targets  14.1,  14.4  and  14.b  for  a  small  island 
developing  State  like  São  Tomé  and  Principe,  which  is  located  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
without  any  direct  neighbouring  countries.  Participants  recommended  a  review  of  the 
2001  fisheries  law,  in  order  to  include  some  relevant  elements  for  protecting  the  small 
fishers and the use of tied nets. 

Nevertheless, according to the information currently available, no SDG targets have been 
formally adopted by São Tomé and Príncipe.  

The  recent  report  “SDG  Index  and  Dashboards  Report  2017”  highlights  the  progress 
achieved  to  reach  the  sustainable  development  goals.  It  is  noted  that  the  specific 
methodology  uses  slightly  different  indicators  from  the  SDG  targets  defined  at  the  UN 
level. 

São Tomé and Príncipe is not included in the 2017 SDG Index and Dashboards Report due 
to  insufficient  data  availability.  The  country  has  25%  missing  indicators  of  the  83 
indicators used in the global version of the SDG Index and Dashboards Report.32 

The country will probably face a setback at the outset of attaining the SDGs due to lack of 
sufficient data in monitoring the sustainable development agenda. Lack of sufficient data, 
even  on  key  dimensions  of  human  and  social  development,  to  be  used  by  development 
professionals and policymakers seems to be a common problem to a  significant number 
of developing and least developed nations. 

32 www.sdgindex.org/assets/files/2017/2017-SDG-Index-and-Dashboards-Report--full.pdf  

Page 8 

 
 
 
                                                 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

Table 1: Targets and global indicators and progress against each of them.  

SDG target 

Has the 
target been 
adopted by 
the country? 

Describe Indicator 
used 

Body responsible 

Current situation and progress1 

These are the targets 
of the SDG 14 

14.1: By 2025, prevent 
and significantly reduce 
marine pollution of all 
kinds, in particular from 
land-based activities, 
including marine debris 
and nutrient pollution. 
14.2: By 2020, 
sustainably manage and 
protect marine and 
coastal ecosystems to 
avoid significant adverse 
impacts, including by 
strengthening their 
resilience. 
14.3: Minimize and 
address the impacts of 
ocean acidification, 
including through 
enhanced scientific 
cooperation at all levels.  

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

No data 

No data 

Progress 
from the 
benchmark 

Regional or 
international 
contribution 

No data 

No data 

Benchmark 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

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Has the 
target been 
adopted by 
the country? 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Describe Indicator 
used 

Body responsible 

Current situation and progress1 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

SDG target 

14.4: By 2020, 
effectively regulate 
harvesting and end 
overfishing, illegal, 
unreported and 
unregulated fishing and 
destructive fishing 
practices. 
14.5: By 2020, conserve 
at least 10 per cent of 
coastal and marine areas, 
consistent with national 
and international law and 
based on the best 
available scientific 
information 
14.6: By 2020, prohibit 
certain forms of fisheries 
subsidies which 
contribute to 
overcapacity and 
overfishing, eliminate 
subsidies that contribute 
to illegal, unreported and 
unregulated fishing and 
refrain from introducing 
new such subsidies. 
14.7: By 2030, increase 
the economic benefits to 
Small Island developing 
States and least 
developed countries from 

Page 10 

 
 
 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

Has the 
target been 
adopted by 
the country? 

Describe Indicator 
used 

Body responsible 

Current situation and progress1 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

Target not 
formally 
adopted 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No benchmark 
currently 
available 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

SDG target 

the sustainable use of 
marine resources. 
14 a: Increase scientific 
knowledge, develop 
research capacity and 
transfer marine 
technology. 
14 b: Provide access for 
small-scale artisanal 
fishers to marine 
resources and markets 
14 c: Enhance the 
conservation and 
sustainable use of oceans 
and their resources by 
implementing 
international law. 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 2: Summary of process and challenges. 

SDG target 

Resources and capacity for 
delivering the target 

Key issues /problems 

Examples of innovation or 
development of opportunities in 
implementing the SDGs? 

14.1 

14.2 

14.3 

14.4 

No data 

No data 

No data 

No available data regarding wastewater 
treatment for Guinea-Bissau.33 

Lack of official control of fishing activities 
by foreign companies and local fishermen, 
who often use very fine mesh nets, 
explosives, and other non-legal methods of 
capture, which are direct actors for 
contamination and destruction of marine 
habitats.34 
No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

Projects listed in the current SFPA 
sectoral support matrix are covering 
EUR 337,000 in investments related 
to IUU control and surveillance 
activities. 

Suspected high levels of IUU fishing 
reported in São Tomé and Príncipe waters. 
Use of the STP flag as a flag of 
convenience 
High level of non-compliance with existing 
laws, due to the weak mechanisms of its 
enforcement; 

Ignorance of the law by the STP citizens; 

Coastal fisheries resources have 

ONG MARAPA is the only institution 
contributing to development of human 
capital. 

33 Sao Tome and Principe.pdf 

34 https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/st/st-nbsap-v2-en.pdf  

Page 12 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

SDG target 

Resources and capacity for 
delivering the target 

Key issues /problems 

Examples of innovation or 
development of opportunities in 
implementing the SDGs? 

experienced a decrease with observed 
signs of depletion of the resources near the 
coast. 

Lack of fisheries training or research 
institutions or departments in São Tomé 
and Príncipe or relevant skills courses at 
medium/high school level to contribute to 
development of human capital in the 
sector.  

Lack of knowledge of coastal resources and 
oceanographic characteristics. Specialised 
human resources for research are 
practically non-existent, in particular in the 
area of stock assessment. There is 
unavailability of updated statistical data on 
fishing. Only limited data taken from a few 
surveys are reported and the extent of 
fisheries catches remain to be estimated. 
Marine protected areas in Sao Tome 
and Principe were reported at 0% 
according to the World Bank.35 
Lack of regulations intended to govern the 
marine protected areas, and means of 

No data 

No data 

14.5 

35 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS?view=chart  

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
SDG target 

Resources and capacity for 
delivering the target 

Key issues /problems 

Examples of innovation or 
development of opportunities in 
implementing the SDGs? 

supervision of their use; 
Lack of policy development capacity, 
implementation capacity in terms of 
fisheries research, national fisheries 
development, integrated management of 
fisheries resources, hygiene inspection, 
regulations intended to govern the marine 
protected areas and means of supervision 
of their use. 
Suspected high levels of IUU fishing 
reported in São Tomé and Príncipe waters 

Semi-industrial demersal trawl fleet 
targeting shrimp historically has migrated 
to other African nations due to the lack of 
access to the EU market for São Tomé and 
Príncipe fishery products. 
No data 

No data 

No data 

No data 

Lack of benefits for communities (projects, 
programs) 

No data 

Lack of institutional capacity and 
enforcement 

No data 

No data 

No data 

Projects listed in the current SFPA 
sectoral support matrix are covering 
25,000 EUR in investments related 
to improving governance of the 
fisheries sector. 
Projects listed in the current SFPA 
sectoral support matrix are covering 
55,668 EUR in investments related 
to improving small-scale fisheries. 
No data 

14.6 

14.7 

14.a 

14.b 

14.c 

Page 14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

3.  SUPPORT FOR BETTER OCEAN GOVERNANCE 

Table 3: Types of mechanisms that support SDG targets and their contribution.  

National or 
regional 
support? 

Regional 

Achievements so 
far 

Opportunities for 
additional funding or 
support? 

The project is in its 
inception phase. 

BMUB grant: 
EUR 3,498,305 

Duration:  
01/2016 till 02/2019 

Role 
they 
play 
Funding 

Type of 
Support 

#OceanAction1
6178 Germany, 
Federal Ministry 
for the 
Environment, 
Nature 
Conservation, 
Building and 
Nuclear Safety 
(BMUB) 

Project: 
Capacity 
Development 
for Enhanced 
Marine 
Management in 
West Africa (CD 
MaMaWA) 

Objectives 

Hyperlink 

https://oceancon
ference.un.org/c
ommitments/?id
=16304#intro 

https://www.inte
rnational-
climate-
initiative.com/en
/projects/project
s/details/project/
479/ 

14.2, 14.4, 14.5, 14.7 and 
14.b 
The proposed project aims 
to improve integrated 
marine management 
approaches in the 
countries of the Abidjan 
Convention by: the 
conservation of marine and 
coastal ecosystems and 
biodiversity, sustainable 
resource use and long-
term provision of 
ecosystem services. The 
member states will be 
supported with the 
identification and 
subsequent potential 
management of 
"Ecologically or Biologically 
Significant Marine Areas" 
(EBSAs). Further support 
will be applied for the 
holistic, strategic "Marine 
Spatial Planning" (MSP) for 
conservation and 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Type of 
Support 

Role 
they 
play 

Objectives 

Hyperlink 

National or 
regional 
support? 

Achievements so 
far 

Opportunities for 
additional funding or 
support? 

ecosystem service-based 
sustainable development 
and for "State of Marine 
Environment Reporting" 
(SoME) for improved 
management response. 
Existing regional Centres 
of Expertise will be 
enabled to conduct 
capacity building initiatives 
and continue to serve as 
hubs of knowledge and 
training after the life of the 
project. The project focus 
group consists of national 
and local planners, 
decision-makers and 
practitioners engaged with 
marine and coastal 
environment and resource 
management across 
relevant agencies and 
ministries. 
14.7 
The IFDD will implement 
the following activities: 

- regulatory frameworks 
harmonization and best 
practices dissemination 
through consultations and 
dialogues, 

Training 
and 
funding 

#OceanAction1
6474 
Monaco - 
Support to the 
Institut de la 
Francophonie 
pour le 
dveloppement 
durable (IFDD), 
subsidiary body 

Page 16 

https://oceancon
ference.un.org/c
ommitments/?id
=16474#targets 

Regional 

No information 
available 

Funding: 
USD 135,000 

 
 
 
 
 
International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support 

Objectives 

Hyperlink 

National or 
regional 
support? 

Achievements so 
far 

Opportunities for 
additional funding or 
support? 

- training for tourism 
professionals, 

- capacity-building, 
financing and development 
of entrepreneurial culture 
development, 

- implementation of 
projects. 

São Tomé and Príncipe is 
part of this initiative 
therefore will get any 
general benefits from the 
work developed. 
14.4, 14.5 and 14.b 

-Build partnerships with 
additional African Coastal 
Nations where IUU fishing 
is an ongoing problem.  

-Through ongoing 
partnership with Liberia 
ministries, protect the 
inshore exclusion zone and 
end IUU fishing in Liberia, 
West Africa.  

https://oceancon
ference.un.org/c
ommitments/?id
=17190 

Regional 

No data 

Funding: 
USD 1,500,000  

Role 
they 
play 

Type of 
Support 

of the 
Organisation 
Internationale 
de la 
Francophonie 

Funding, 
Training, 
Advisory 

#OceanAction1
7190 
Partnership 
with African 
Coastal States 
to Eradicate 
IUU Fishing in 
their Sovereign 
Waters by 2020 
by Sea 
Shepherd 
Global (Non-
governmental 
organization 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Objectives 

Hyperlink 

National or 
regional 
support? 

Achievements so 
far 

Opportunities for 
additional funding or 
support? 

- Through ongoing 
partnership with 
government ministries, 
protect the MPA and end 
IUU fishing in Gabon, São 
Tomé and Principe, West 
Africa.  

-Empowering governments 
to adequately monitor, 
control and surveillance 
their waters through 
capacity- and capability-
building.  

Type of 
Support 

(NGO)) 

Role 
they 
play 

Page 18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  GOOD PRACTICE AND LESSONS LEARNT 

No good practice examples have been identified so far for this country. 

São Tomé and Príncipe Literature Review 

Page 19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SWOT ANALYSIS 

International Oceans Governance - Scientific Support Ref. No MARE/2011/01 

EASME / DG MARE 

Ref. EASME/EMFF/2016/031 

São Tomé and Príncipe, SWOT Analysis 

Page 20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 

INTRODUCTION 

The  main  objective  of  this  series  of  SWOT  analyses  is  to  obtain  information  about  the 
capacities  and  the  limitations  that  are  currently  faced  by  each  of  the  countries  in  the 
study in being able to address their SDG14 requirements. 

In a standard SWOT analysis (strengths weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) internal 
(S&W) and external (O&T) factors (to the country in this case) are analysed. The internal 
scope  (strengths  and  weaknesses)  are  those  related  to  the  organisations,  projects  and 
structures  of  the  country;  the  external  scope  (opportunities  and  threats)  are  those 
events  and  pressures  that  influence  the  country  from  outside  but  can  much  it  easier 
(opportunities)  or  make  it  more  difficult  or  prevent  a  country  from  achieving  its 
objectives (threats).  

Once  the  four  elements:  strengths,  weaknesses,  opportunities  and  threats  have  been 
analysed individually (Section  0), some key underlying mechanisms may be determined 
to utilise strengths and opportunities individually or to address and  counter  weaknesses 
and  threats.    However,  it  is  usually  necessary  to  further  analyse  the  relationships 
between  the  four  components  to  identify  potential  ways  forward  and  then  to  set 
strategies  to  follow  in  order  to  take  advantage  of  our  strengths  based  on  specific 
opportunities and to reduce threats, and to work to combat any identified weaknesses by 
identifying  opportunities  and  to  highlight  where  weaknesses  and  threats  coincide  so 
measures can be taken to reduce the potential negative impacts. 

 
 
 
 
 
2  SUMMARY SWOT TABLE 

This document provides a summary SWOT analysis at the country level for São Tomé and 
Príncipe.  A  summary  of  the  analysis  can  be  found  in  Table  1,  with  the  details  found  for 
each specific section in for Strengths (Section  3.1 - Table 2), Weaknesses (Section  3.2- 
Table 3), Opportunities (Section 3.3 - Opportunities detail any external improvement that 
can  be  taken  advantage  of  by  a  country.    Opportunities  should  be  external  to  the 
country. Opportunities are a combination of different circumstances at a given time that 
offer a positive outcome, if they can be effectively and efficiently taken advantage of. As 
opportunities  are  external,  a  country  cannot  easily  ‘create’  opportunities,  they  can  only 
ensure  that  they  are  in  the  best  position  to  gain  the  maximum  benefit  from  any 
opportunities that appear, i.e. have the governmental structures in place. 

SDG 14 is a political priority for the region due to the important on marine resources in 
the EEZ of several countries and therefore provides opportunities for future management 
and  resource  collaborations.    São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  an  important  marine  turtle  site 
and  its  waters  are  host  to  various  fisheries  resources  including  tuna  species,  small 
pelagics and demersal fisheries. The country is expected to begin commercially exploiting 
oil  reserves  and  sees  this  as  a  significant  opportunity  for  the  country  in  terms  of 
economic and resource provision.  

Table 4) and Threats (Section 3.4 - Threats are external factor, i.e. originating outside of 
the  country  being  analysed.    No  control  is  exercised  by  the  country  over  these  factors, 
but  there  will  be  a  benefit  by  having  contingency  plans  to  address  them  if  they  should 
occur  to  reduce  any  negative  impacts.    A  typical  threat  would  be  “Global  warming 
creating  negative  economic 
fishing  opportunities  and 
environmental damage”. 

impacts  through  reduced 

Climate  change  poses  one  of  the  biggest  threats  to  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe,  and  the 
country  is  extremely  vulnerable  to  climate  related  hazards  such  as  floods,  storms  and 
droughts; all of which will have negative impacts to important sectors such as agriculture 
and  fisheries.  Coastal  erosion  from  sea  level  rises  and  extreme  weather  events  may  be 
enhanced  by  unregulated  exploitation  of  sand  in  several  parts  of  the  country.  Further 
degradation  of  marine  ecosystems  from  unregulated  fishing  activities  such  as  dynamite 
fishing and IUU have been identified. Additional environmental issues may arise from the 
development  of  a  commercially  active  oil  exploitation  industry  in  their  EEZ,  unless 
effective  environmental  compliance  is  monitored  and  enforced.  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe 
being a least developed country (LDC) is extremely vulnerable to external shocks. 

Table 5). 

Table 1 Summary SWOT for São Tomé and Príncipe. 

Positive 

Negative 

Page 22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Positive 

Negative 

STRENGTHS 

WEAKNESSES 

  Fisheries resources of commercial 

  Fragile economy 

interest 

  Poverty 

  Adherence to international 

obligations 

  Joint surveillance operations with 

Sea Shepherd 

  Importance of international 

tourism for the São Tomé and 
Príncipe economy 

  Governance (WGI) below global 

average 

  Weak fisheries policy/legal framework 

  Lack of supervisory and enforcement 

capacity of fishing activities 

  Island of Príncipe is a UNESCO 

biosphere reserve 

  Lack of fisheries training, research 

institutions or departments 

  Poor knowledge of coastal resources 
and oceanographic characteristics 

  Coastal fisheries resources 

decreasing 

  No access to the EU market for 

fishery products 

  Insufficient investment in the 
artisanal fleet sector by the 
government 

  Weak ports and onshore support 

infrastructure 

  Absence of clear structure for SDG14 

actions 

l
a
n
r
e
t
n
I

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Positive 

Negative 

THREATS 

  Climate change 

  Coastal Erosion 

OPPORTUNITIES 

  Degradation of coastal and marine 

  Commercially exploitable offshore 

oil reserves 

  Biodiversity in São Tomé and 

Príncipe 

  Rafismer 

l
a
n
r
e
t
x
E

ecosystems 

  Turtle conservation and protection 

dependent on NGOs 

  Use of the STP flag as a flag of 

convenience 

  SDG 14 has high priority regionally 

  Economic – Global economic 

downturn 

  Commercially exploitable offshore oil 

reserves 

Page 24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3  SWOT DEFINITION 

The  following  four  sections  identify  individual  strengths,  weaknesses,  opportunities  and 
threats  identified  for  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe.  Each  element  identified  is  given  a  unique 
number for future reference, fully described and evidence given. 

3.1  Strengths 

Strengths  can  be  described  as  a  country’s  internal  positive  attributes  that  makes  a 
country  stand  out  from  others.    Strengths  could  include  attributes  such  as  a  defined 
national focus on a particular key issue, strong academic infrastructure that can underpin 
research,  good  long-term  funding  for  relevant  government  bodies  etc.    For  example,  a 
country  may  only  have  a  single  national  university  but  if  that  university  has  a  strong 
oceanographic  or  marine  biology  focus  with  strong  internationally  renowned  research  
groups  that  would  be  a  key  strength  in  developing  mechanisms  and  analysing  data  to 
enable a country to meet its SDG targets. 

The fisheries of São Tomé and Príncipe are of international commercial interest, hosting 
species  such  as  yellow  fin  tuna,  skipjack  tuna,  swordfish  and  sharks.  As  a  result  at  a  
regional  level,  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  participating  in  several  Regional  Fisheries 
Management  Organisations  (RFMO),  most  of  which  push  for  the  adoption  of  targets 
linked to SDG 14.  Island of Príncipe is currently a UNESCO biosphere  reserve and 2014 
implemented  a  trade-in  program  incentivizing  the  collection  and  recycling  of  plastic 
bottles found in the marine environment.  

 
 
 
 
Table 2: Summary of Strengths Identified for São Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Strength 

Description and evidence 

1 

Fisheries 
commercial interest 

resources 

of 

The fisheries of São Tomé and Príncipe fall within two 
distinct  groups,  the  oceanic  fisheries  (large  and  small 
pelagic  fish)  and  the  coastal  fisheries.  Large  pelagic 
fishes  (yellowfin,  and  skipjack  tunas,  swordfish  and 
sharks) are the principal fisheries resources of interest 
to  industrial  fisheries.  Exploitation  of  the  deep  sea 
crab resource as well as small pelagic stocks may also 
be  viable  in  this  region.  The  coastal  marine  fishes  of 
São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  archipelago  have  not  been 
studied in detail. 

2  Adherence to international 

obligations 

At  the  regional  level,  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is 
participating in several RFMOs36: 

ICCAT; 

 
  Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation 
among  African  States  bordering  the  Atlantic 
Ocean (ATLAFCO);  

  Fishery  Committee  for  the  Eastern  Central 

Atlantic (CECAF); and 

  Regional  Commission  of  Fisheries  of  Gulf  of 

Guinea (COREP) 

Most of these RFMOs push for the adoption of targets 
linked to SDG 14 at the regional and national levels. 
São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  a  member  of  the  African 
Union  (AU)  and  is  also  part  of  the  Canary  Current 
Large  Marine  Ecosystem  project  (CCLME)  funded  by 
GEF.  This  project  is  part  of  the  Abidjan  Convention 
and  aims  at  improving  transboundary  cooperation  on 
sustainability  issues.37  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  one 
of the member states in the convention area which is 
in the process to ratify the Abidjan Convention.38 

São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  partnered  with  Operation 
Albacore,  sending  two  marines  and  one  fisheries 
observer  from  São  Tomé  to  join  Sea  Shepherd  crew, 
Gabonese  marines 
fisheries 
and 
enforcement officers on board the  M/Y Bob Barker, to 
further  detect  and  deter  IUU  fishing  in  the  Gulf  of 
Guinea. 

Gabonese 

Tourism  is  an  important  industry  for  the  São  Tomé 
and  Príncipe  economy.  The  direct  contribution  from 
tourism  and  related  activities  to  the  GDP  accounted 
for around 14.8% of total GDP in 2016.  

Principe  has  been  a  biosphere  reserve  since  2012.  In 
2014  a 
trade-in  program  with  participation  of 
transportation and recycling companies started, where 
plastic  bottles  are  exchanged  for  stainless  steel 
drinking  bottles  on  a  regular  basis.  The  biosphere 
reserve includes the entire emerged area of the island 
of  Príncipe,  and  its  islets  Bom  Bom,  Boné  do  Jóquei, 
Mosteiros,  Santana  and  Pedra  da  Galei,  and  Tinhosas 

3 

Joint 
operations 
Shepherd 

surveillance 
Sea 

with 

4 

5 

Importance  of  international 
tourism  for  the  São  Tomé 
and Príncipe economy 

Island 
UNESCO biosphere reserve 

Príncipe 

of 

is 

36 http://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/STP/es 

37 http://www.fao.org/in-action/canary-current-lme/background/the-cclme-project/en/  

38 

http://abidjanconvention.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=201&la
ng=en 

Page 26 

 
 
 
                                                 
#  Strength 

Description and evidence 

islands.  

3.2  Weaknesses 

Weaknesses  stop  a  country  from  performing  at  its  optimum  level.  Weaknesses  are 
highlighted as areas or attributes that can be improved to enable the country to improve 
in  particular  areas  for  example  a  lack  of  political  will  to  implement  changes,  reduced 
administrative or enforcement capacity that can reduce effectiveness. 

The  country  is  a  lower  middle  income  developing  small  island  state  with  a  fragile 
economy, highly dependent on the cocoa industry and international imports. In 2015 the 
country was ranked 142nd out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index, as two 
thirds of the population living in poverty. Governance in São Tomé and Príncipe is below 
global  average,  ranking  86th  in  the  2011  ranking  for  all  countries.  The  country  has  a 
weak  fisheries  policy  and  legal  framework,  with  a  lack  of  implementation  capacity  in 
terms  of  fisheries  research,  development,  integrated  management  and  enforcement  of 
management regulations. Overall there is a lack of fisheries training, research institutions 
or departments, which has resulted in poor knowledge of coastal resources, absent stock 
assessments and limited availability of environmental data.  

 
 
 
 
 
Table 3: Summary of Weaknesses Identified for São Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Weakness 

Description and evidence 

1 

Fragile economy 

2 

Poverty 

3  Governance  (WGI)  below 

global average 

4  Weak  fisheries  policy/legal 

framework 

São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  a  lower  middle  income, 
developing  small  island  state  with  a  fragile  economy. 
The  economy  has  become  increasingly  dependent  on 
cocoa  although  cocoa  production  has  substantially 
declined  in  recent  years  because  of  drought  and 
mismanagement.  The  country  imports  fuels,  most 
manufactured  goods,  consumer  goods,  and  food, 
making 
in  global 
to 
commodity prices and highly vulnerable to exogenous 
shocks. Some  of the major economic problems facing 
the  country  are  controlling  the 
fiscal 
discipline  and  increase  foreign  investment  to  the  oil 
sector. 

it  vulnerable 

fluctuations 

inflation, 

In  2015,  the  country  was  ranked  142nd  out  of  187 
countries  in  the  Human  Development  Index  (HDI).39 
Two  thirds  of  the  population  (71%  of  women)  live  in 
poverty.  In  rural  areas,  68%  of  the  population  live 
below  the  poverty  line  (USD  2/day)  and  29%  in 
extreme  poverty.  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  classified 
as  a  least  developed  country40  (LDC),  and  also  small 
island developed state (SIDS), strongly constrained by 
the  insular  nature  of  the  country,  its  fragility,  as  well 
as  by  the  resources  constraints  and  the  weakness  of 
the absorption capacity. 

The country has improved on the Mo-Ibrahim Index of 
African  Governance  moving  to  11th  place  in  2016 
from  13th  in  2015  reflecting  efforts  to  improve  good 
governance41.  Under  the  dimensions  of  governance 
(political  stability,  government  effectiveness,  rule  of 
law and control of corruption), São Tomé and Príncipe 
was  ranking eighth of the countries  surveyed in 2009 
in descending order at a regional level, ranking 86nd in 
the  2011  WGI  ranking  for  all  countries42  but  lowering 
positions  from  2008  (72nd).  The  WGI  index  value  for 
São Tomé and Príncipe (0.609) in 2011 was below the 
global average (0.616). 
There  is  a  lack  of  policy  development  capacity, 
implementation  capacity 
fisheries 
research,  national  fisheries  development,  integrated 
management 
hygiene 
inspection, regulations intended to govern the  marine 
protected areas and means of supervision of their use. 

terms  of 

resources, 

fisheries 

of 

in 

39 http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/HDI 

40 https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/ldc_list.pdf 

41 https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/AEO_2017_Report_Full_English.pdf 

42 http://world-governance.org/IMG/pdf_WGI_short_version_EN_web-2.pdf  

Page 28 

 
 
 
                                                 
5 

Lack  of  supervisory  and 
capacity  of 
enforcement 
fishing activities  

The  lack  of  supervisory  and  enforcement  capacity  of 
fishing activities in the country’s territorial waters has 
allowed  the  uncontrolled  capture  of  several  species. 
The  absence  of  control  over  the  fishing  units, 
especially  with  regard  to  the  type  of used  artefacts, 
has led to unsustainable use of the resource.  There is 
a lack of official control of fishing activities by foreign 
companies  and  local  fishermen,  who  often  use  very 
fine  mesh  nets,  explosives,  and  other  non-legal 
methods  of  capture,  which  are  direct  actors  for 
contamination  and  destruction  of  marine  habitats.43 
The  observed  high  level  of  non-compliance  with 
existing  laws  is  due  to  the  weak  mechanisms  of  its 
enforcement.  

6 

7 

Lack  of  fisheries  training, 
research 
or 
departments 

institutions 

Poor knowledge of coastal 
resources and 
oceanographic 
characteristics 

8  Coastal  fisheries  resources 

decreasing 

9  No access to the EU market 

for fishery products 

10 

Insufficient  investment  in 
the artisanal fleet sector by 
the government 

Lack  of  fisheries  training  or  research  institutions  or 
departments  in  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  or  relevant 
skills  courses  at  medium/high  school 
to 
contribute  to  development  of  human  capital  in  the 
sector.  
Specialised  human 
research  are 
resources 
practically  non-existent,  in  particular  in  the  area  of 
stock  assessment.  There  is  unavailability  of  updated 
statistical  data  on  fishing.  Only  limited  data  taken 
from  a  few  surveys  are  reported  and  the  extent  of 
fisheries catches remain to be estimated. 

level 

for 

Coastal 
fisheries  resources  have  experienced  a 
decrease  with  observed  signs  of  depletion  of  the 
resources near the coast. The depletion trend is due to 
overexploitation,  and  the  replacement  of  traditional 
fishing 
techniques  with  unsustainable  practices. 
Coastal  fishing  grounds  are  the  only  area  accessible 
by artisanal fishermen due to equipment restraints. It 
is estimated that only approximately 6,000 km2 of the 
160,000  km2  of  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe’s  ZEE  are 
explored by the artisanal fishermen. 

Semi-industrial  demersal  trawl  fleet  targeting  shrimp 
historically  has  migrated  to  other  African  nations  due 
to  the  lack  of  access  to  the  EU  market  for  São  Tomé 
and  Príncipe  fishery  products.  There  is  no  quality 
control of fishery products. 

There is a lack of investment in the artisanal sector by 
the  government  authorities,  mainly  in  the  facilitation 
of  credits  for  acquisition  of  vessels  with  greater 
capacity/autonomy 
fishermen 
training/education initiatives. 

well 

as 

as 

11  Weak  ports  and  onshore 
support infrastructure  

National  ports  are  very  limited  in  depth  limiting  the 
size of vessels which may enter. Larger fishing vessels 
are forced to do transshipments offshore when visiting 
São Tomé and Príncipe.   

43 https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/st/st-nbsap-v2-en.pdf 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
12  Absence  of  clear  structure 

for SDG14 actions 

There  is  no  clear  structure  on  responsibilities  to  take 
actions  to  improve  the  status  of  SDG14  targets.  The 
first 
identifications  of  potential  actions  covering 
SDG14  targets  were  performed  a  few  weeks  before 
the  Ocean Conference in New  York, but no  significant 
conclusion  was  reached,  apart  from  the  intention  of 
the country to try achieve the goals. 
There  is  no  clear  leader  identified  for  the  SDG14 
targets  without  a  clear  definition  of  tasks  allocated  to 
each  service,  which  limits  the  coherence  of  public 
action. 

There is also no overall plan for data collection that 
would allow to track progress against specific SDG14 
indicators. 

3.3  Opportunities 

Opportunities  detail  any  external  improvement  that  can  be  taken  advantage  of  by  a 
country.    Opportunities  should  be  external  to  the  country.  Opportunities  are  a 
combination  of  different  circumstances  at  a  given  time  that  offer  a  positive  outcome,  if 
they can be effectively and efficiently taken advantage of. As opportunities are external, 
a country cannot easily ‘create’ opportunities, they can only ensure that they are in the 
best position to gain the maximum benefit from any opportunities that appear, i.e. have 
the governmental structures in place. 

SDG 14 is a political priority for the region due to the important on marine resources in 
the EEZ of several countries and therefore provides opportunities for future management 
and  resource  collaborations.    São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  an  important  marine  turtle  site 
and  its  waters  are  host  to  various  fisheries  resources  including  tuna  species,  small 
pelagics and demersal fisheries. The country is expected to begin commercially exploiting 
oil  reserves  and  sees  this  as  a  significant  opportunity  for  the  country  in  terms  of 
economic and resource provision.  

Page 30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 4: Summary of Opportunities Identified for São Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Opportunity 

Description and evidence 

1  Commercially 

exploitable 

offshore oil reserves 

2  Biodiversity  in  São  Tomé 

and Príncipe. 

3  Rafismer  

4  SDG  14  has  high  priority 

regionally. 

Guinea-Bissau  concluded  oil  exploration  contracts  in 
1997  although  large-scale  oil  production  is  expected 
to  begin  only  in  a  few  years.  Oil  wealth  is  seen  as  a 
significant opportunity for the country. 

São  Tomé  and  Principe  is  an  important  marine  turtle 
nesting site (notably in Príncipe Island). 
São  Tomé  waters  host  also  various 
fisheries 
resources:  various  tuna  species,  small  pelagics  and 
demersal species.  

The  Rafismer  is  the  network  of  Atlafco  oceanographic 
institutes created in 2003. However, the network was 
not very active until 2016 and the definition of a new 
action plan focusing on exchange of local expertise, on 
resource-sharing 
the 
development of new research projects44. 

for  regional  MCS  and  on 

SDG  14  is  a  political  priority  for  the  countries  of  the 
region due to the importance of the resources present 
in  the  EEZ  of  several  countries  but  also  to  the 
importance  of  the  fisheries  sector  in  the  regional 
economies (2nd export sector for Mauritania, fish is by 
far  the  first  source  of  protein  in  Senegal,  fisheries 
agreement and licences are one of the most important 
source of revenues for Guinea Bissau). 

3.4  Threats 

Threats  are  external  factor,  i.e.  originating  outside  of  the  country  being  analysed.    No 
control  is  exercised  by  the  country  over  these  factors,  but  there  will  be  a  benefit  by 
having  contingency  plans  to  address  them  if  they  should  occur  to  reduce  any  negative 
impacts.  A typical threat would be “Global warming creating negative economic impacts 
through reduced fishing opportunities and environmental damage”. 

Climate  change  poses  one  of  the  biggest  threats  to  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe,  and  the 
country  is  extremely  vulnerable  to  climate  related  hazards  such  as  floods,  storms  and 
droughts; all of which will have negative impacts to important sectors such as agriculture 
and  fisheries.  Coastal  erosion  from  sea  level  rises  and  extreme  weather  events  may  be 
enhanced  by  unregulated  exploitation  of  sand  in  several  parts  of  the  country.  Further 
degradation  of  marine  ecosystems  from  unregulated  fishing  activities  such  as  dynamite 
fishing and IUU have been identified. Additional environmental issues may arise from the 
development  of  a  commercially  active  oil  exploitation  industry  in  their  EEZ,  unless 
effective  environmental  compliance  is  monitored  and  enforced.  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe 
being a least developed country (LDC) is extremely vulnerable to external shocks. 

44 http://www.rafismer.org/plan-d%E2%80%99action-biennal-2016-2017 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
Table 5: Summary of Threats Identified for São Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Threat 

Description and evidence 

1  Climate change 

2  Coastal Erosion 

3  Degradation  of  coastal  and 

marine ecosystems 

4  Turtle 

conservation  and 
protection  dependent  on 
NGOs 

5  Use of the STP flag as a flag 

of convenience 

6 

IUU fishing 

7  Economic 

– 

Global 

economic downturn 

8  Commercially 

exploitable 

offshore oil reserves 

foreseeable 

More  extreme  climatic  events  alongside  higher 
average  temperatures  are 
in  global 
climate  model  projections  of  future  climate  change. 
São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  is  very  vulnerable  to  climate-
related  hazards  such  as  floods,  coastal/river  mouth 
flash  floods,  storms  and  drought  episodes.  These 
hazards  have  impacts  on  sectors  such  as  agriculture, 
fisheries  and  infrastructures  which  are  mostly  located 
in the coastal zone. 

The  unregulated  exploitation  of  sand  is  considered  to 
be one of the factors responsible for coastal erosion in 
several  parts  of  the  country.  Sand  is  the  most  used 
material  used  for  construction  in  São  Tomé  and 
Príncipe as well as timber. Cutting of coastal trees for 
charcoal  also  leads  to  destruction  of  the  natural 
is  an 
protection  against  the  waves. 
additional  source  of  income  for  several  families  in 
these  communities.  The  unprotected  coastal  land 
becomes more vulnerable to extreme weather effects. 

  Charcoal 

Some  of  the  factors  that  have  been  identified  as 
responsible for the  degradation of coastal and marine 
ecosystems are: 

  Coastal erosion caused by rising sea level 
  Unregulated exploitation of coastal inert is an 

important cause of destruction of the breeding 
grounds of sea turtles.  

  Use of fishing nets with inadequate mesh size 

in territorial waters 

  Use of explosives as fishing method 

With respect to turtle conservation and protection, the 
Ministry  has  no  activities,  and  interventions  in  this 
area  have  been  dependent  on  the  activities  of  the 
NGO  Marapa.  ONG  MARAPA  is  the  only  institution 
contributing to development of human capital. 

The  country’s  flag  is  often  used  as  a  flag  of 
convenience  by  foreign  vessels.  The  government  of 
São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  permits  this  in  order  to 
increase revenue for the country, despite the fact that 
the country does not have any deep-water ports. The 
lack of regulation has resulted in the flag being placed 
on the blacklist for poor port State control. 

Suspected  high  levels  of  IUU  fishing  reported  in  São 
Tomé and Príncipe waters. 

São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  being  a  least  developed 
country  (LDC)  is  extremely  vulnerable  to  external 
shocks.  

Offshore  oil  reserves  have  been  highlighted  as 
opportunities.  They  can  be  a  threat  as  there  are 
that  effective  environmental  compliance 
doubts 
monitoring  programmes  is  put  in  place  to  ensure 
development  does  not  have  a  negative  impact, 
notably in terms of pollutions. 

4  SWOT LEVEL 2 COMBINATIONS 

In  this  second  level  of  the  SWOT  analysis  the  Strengths  and  Weaknesses  are  linked  to 
the Opportunities and Threats for São Tomé and Príncipe.This will identify and gaps and 
needs in [Country], by  identifying where  existing strengths  could be  used to plug gaps, 
i.e. using existing national experience and organisations to address a gap.  These may be 
Page 32 

 
 
 
 
linked  to  an  opportunity  i.e.  an  existing  funding  stream  or  potential  collaboration  with 
another country or international organisation 

4.1  Strengths and Opportunities – “Natural Opportunities” 

This section match a country’s strengths and any existing opportunities i.e. any obvious 
natural  priorities  that  currently  exist.    These  “natural  opportunities”  are  those  that  a 
country should be able to take advantage of easily due to their existing strengths.  These 
should present the greatest return on investment (based on money or time) as they are 
likely to be quickest and easiest to implement.  These should justify immediate planning 
or assessment of feasibility.   

These combinations are most likely to succeed and generate good practice examples due 
to the matching of a country’s strengths and opportunities.  When these areas have not 
already  being  highlighted,  then  it  is  recommended  that  they  are  planned  for  with  a 
national  planning  structure  and  prioritised,  i.e.  there  is  a  need  to  adjust  focus  and 
reprioritise. 

Table 6: Summary of Strength and Opportunity Combinations Identified for São 
Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Strength 

Opportunity 

Description and evidence 

Importance of 
international 
tourism for the São 
Tomé and Príncipe 
economy 

Island of Príncipe is 
UNESCO biosphere 
reserve 

Importance of 
international 
tourism for the São 
Tomé and Príncipe 
economy 

1 

2 

3 

4 

Biodiversity in São Tomé 
and Príncipe 

Commercially  exploitable 
offshore oil reserves 

Island of Príncipe is 
a UNESCO 
biosphere reserve 

Biodiversity in São Tomé 
and Príncipe 

5 

Fisheries  resources 
of 
commercial 
interest 

Rafismer 

Further  development  of  eco-
touristic  activities  is  seen  as  an 
important  economic  opportunity 
turtle 
the  country  either 
for 
tourism or recreational fishing. 
These activities are thought to be 
developed 
in  conjunction  with 
new activities in terrestrial natural 
reserves. 

The  development  of  a  Marine 
Spatial Planning framework would 
allow  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe  to 
better  take  advantage  of  the 
important  biodiversity  it  hosts, 
either 
from  direct  exploitation 
(fisheries,  oil)  or  conservation 
effect, 
benefits 
ecotourism…). 
It  should  also  clarify  the  roles  of 
the different governmental bodies 
developing  planning  activities  in 
the EEZ. 

(spill 

over 

revival  of 

The 
the  Rafismer 
network  should  be  used  as  an 
important  vector  of 
regional 
cooperation,  notably  on  SDG14s 
subjects,  and  also  aid  in  the 
required 
implementation 
fishery 
improvements 
ensure 
management 
responsible 
compliance  with 
fishing 
sanctions 
against  non-compliant  vessels, 
turtle bycatch reporting, etc. 

of 
in 
to 

practices, 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Page 34 

 
 
 
 
 
4.2  Strengths and Threats – “Threats that can be defended”  

This  section  details  threats  that  should  be  easy  to  defend  and  counter  based  on  the 
country’s  existing  strengths.    For  many  existing  threats  the  current  skills,  funding  and 
administrative  requirements  may  already  be  in  place  to  be  able  to  meet  these  threats 
e.g. financial planning to ensure lean periods can be managed without having to resort to 
laying off of staff, cutting back on research programmers etc.  Many threats are often not 
recognised  as  they  have  been  countered  effectively  by  standard  procedures  that  are 
reviewed on a regular basis.  Good practice can be developed to show how to effectively 
address threats in limited situation.   

Table 7: Summary of Strength and Threat Combinations Identified for São Tomé 
and Príncipe. 

#  Strength 

Threat 

Description and evidence 

1 

2 

3 

Climate change 

All 

Coastal Erosion 

Degradation of coastal 
and marine ecosystems 

Monitoring  and  protecting  specific 
in 
vulnerable  areas,  notably 
coastal  areas,  are  some  of  the 
actions  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe 
can  take  to  adapt  its  marine 
sector  to  climate  change,  coastal 
erosion and loss of biodiversity. 

4 

Joint surveillance 
operations with Sea 
Shepherd 

IUU fishing 

Developing 
surveillance 
joint 
patrols  with  Sea  Shepherd  allows 
to 
São  Tomé  and  Príncipe 
overcome  the  lack  of  internal 
resource  to  monitor  its  fisheries 
and  identify  IUU  vessels.  Since 
2016  the  campaign  boarded  two 
Spanish  longliners  in  São  Tomé 
waters.  The  inspections  revealed 
that  their  fish  holds  were  filled 
with  sharks,  predominately  blue 
sharks.  Many  of  the  shark's  fins 
had  already  been  detached  from 
their bodies, a suspected violation 
of  the  European  Union  Finning 
Ban 
its 
amendment  (605/2013),  which 
requires  sharks  to  be  landed  with 
their  Fins  Naturally  Attached 
(FNA). 

(1185/2003) 

and 

5 

6 

Importance of 
international 
tourism for the São 
Tomé and Príncipe 
economy 

Coastal Erosion 

Degradation of coastal 
and marine ecosystems 

The  touristic  pressure  on  the 
coastline  coupled  with  the  risk 
posed  by  the  sand  extraction  to 
the  coastline  may  aggravate 
erosion  issues  that  need  to  be 
properly monitored. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.3  Weaknesses and Opportunities – “Attractive Opportunities” 

Where  a  national  weakness  has  been  identified  but  an  opportunity  exists  these  can  be 
potentially attractive options in being able to plug a gap in funding, skills or experience.  
These opportunities are likely to produce good returns if the basic level of capability and 
implementation  are  viable.    This  could  be  in  the  form  of  funding  and  bringing  in 
experience  to  enhance  the  skills  of  staff  to  add  long-term  skill  capacity  to  a  research 
organisation  along  with  necessary  technical  equipment,  e.g.  Training  course  on  otolith 
reading along with microscopes and otolith staining materials to remove the reliance on 
expensive external laboratories. 

Good  practice  examples  in  these  cases  may  come  from  addressing  current  weaknesses 
turning  those  weaknesses  into  strengths.    If  weaknesses  are  not  being  addressed  and 
opportunities  exist  it  should  be  identified  what  is  stopping  or  limiting  progress  on 
implementation,  are  assumptions  correct  and  are  plans  realistic  and  substantial  or  are 
other  weaknesses  limiting  the  chances  of  exploiting  opportunities  e.g.  poor  government 
effectiveness  limiting  the  ability  of  government  research  agencies  to  apply  for  and  win 
external funding. 

Table  8:  Summary  of  Weakness  and  Opportunity  Combinations  Identified  for 
São Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Weakness 

Opportunity 

Description and evidence 

Exploitation of oil reserves may in 
the  long  term  provide  additional 
funding  stream  to  the  São  Tomé 
and  Príncipe  government 
that 
could  eventually  be  used  to  fund 
specific 
programmes 
SDG14 
tackling national weaknesses. 

revival  of 
could 

the  Rafismer 
The 
network 
foster  more 
cooperation  on  data  collection, 
building  on  programmes 
that 
were  developed  by  some  of  its 
members. 

There  is  an  opportunity  for  São 
Tomé and Príncipe to build on the 
regional  dynamic  to  foster  the 
appropriation  of  SDG14  targets 
and 
its 
population. 

related 

issues 

by 

1 

All 

Commercially exploitable 
offshore oil reserves 

2 

3 

Poor knowledge of 
coastal resources 
and oceanographic 
characteristics 

Rafismer 

Absence of clear 
structure for SDG14 
actions 

SDG 14 has high priority 
regionally 

Page 36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
4.4  Weaknesses and Threats – “High Risk Scenarios” 

Where  weaknesses  and  threats  are  matched  up  this  would  identify  potentially  high  risk 
scenarios.  In  these  cases  the  assessment  of  risk  is  crucial.    It  is  very  important  to 
understand the risks faces and ignorance of those risks is a poor state to be in. 

Where  risks  and  potential  impacts  are  shown  to  be  low  then  we  should  highlight  these 
issues as a low priority and ensure that countries are not distracted by them, but where 
the  risks  and  /  or  the  impacts  are  high  then  it  is  recommended  that  an  assessment  of 
funding and capability gaps is conducted and a mitigation plan developed to ensure these 
risks  are  addressed.  This  could  be  through  additional  funding,  training,  bringing  in 
additional  temporary  technical  assistance,  or  working  with  neighbouring  States  to 
transfer skills, personnel or equipment (e.g. rent of a patrol vessel during “high” season 
in  one  EEZ  during  the  “low”  season  in  the  vessel  owners’  EEZ)  or  joint  purchasing  and 
usage of high value resources. 

Table  9:  Summary  of  Weakness  and  Threat  Combinations  Identified  for  São 
Tomé and Príncipe. 

#  Weakness 

Threat 

Description and evidence 

Lack of supervisory 
and enforcement 
capacity of fishing 
activities 

IUU Fishing 

Suspected high levels of IUU exist 
local 
in  STP  waters,  but  the 
capacity  to  conduct  enforcement 
activities in local waters may lead 
to  increased  IUU,  particularly  if 
neighbouring States increase their 
capacity.   IUU  fishing  leads  to  an 
increased risk for stock failure. 

Use of the STP flag 
as a flag of 
convenience 

IUU Fishing 

Vessels  that  possibly  use  the  flag 
of  STP  as  one  of  convenience  are 
more likely to conduct IUU fishing 
both  in  STP  waters  and  beyond 
(i.e.  high  seas  or  other  States’ 
EEZs).  
the 
reputational  risk  of  STP  and  may 
lead 
such  as 
notification  by  the  EU  or  US  and 
blocking of imports. 

to  processes 

increases 

This 

All 

Climate change 

Coastal Erosion 

Degradation of coastal 
and marine ecosystems 

is  a  need 

Sea  level  rise  and  coastal  erosion 
are  some  of 
the  detrimental 
effects of climate change. 
There 
for  proper 
monitoring  of  the  potential  effect 
sand  extraction  may  have  on  the 
coastline but also on the potential 
vulnerable  biotopes  that  could  be 
affected  by  the  extraction,  to 
avoid  amplifying  climate  change 
effects. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Annex 1 – Examples 

Level 1 – Define Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 

Positive 

Negative 

l
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I

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t
x
E

STRENGTHS 

National focus on issues 
Academic infrastructure strong and 
good national curriculum 
development 
Training within national colleges. 
Relevant Govt. bodies well-funded 
Experience in similar projects 
Enhanced reputation 
Clear processes in national bodies 
(e.g. data collection / analysis) 
History of implementation 
Good communication 
Industry focus or engagement 
Good governance (WBGI) 

WEAKNESSES 

Political will 
Lack of nation training plans 
Poor retention of trained / skilled staff 
Enforcement capacity / effectiveness 
Administrative capacity / effectoveness 
Knowledge / experience insufficiency 
Lack of reputation 
Focus on food not resource 
Requirements are new and untested in 
country 
Poor communication 
Lack of focus from industry 
Poor governance (WBGI) – poor stability 
to the extreme of civil war (Heads of 
relevant bodies replaced with Govt 
change) 

OPPORTUNITIES 

High priority regionally (+ bilateral) 
Strong NGO support and pressure 
Regional knowledge 
Regional and bilateral cooperation is 
high – clear responsibility and 
effective 
New skill training / transfer available 
from outside agencies 
External funding or services from 
various sources available 
Public – Private Partnerships possible 
Partner organisations available 
Emerging blue economy 

THREATS 

Regional pressure on smaller States 
Strong industry lobby (national / DW) 
Common pool nature of resource 
Poor regional management 
Lack of targeted funding (for 
environmental issues as a priority vs 
conflict, food security etc.) 
Lack of funding (prev. developing 
countries now not classified as 
developing) 
Lack of opportunities for training or lack 
of continuity of staff post training 
Conflict / War 
Economic – Global economic downturn 
Climate change 

Page 38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Level 2 – Couple SWOT combinations 

Strengths 

Weaknesses 

s
e
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t
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n
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t
r
o
p
p
O

s
t
a
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r
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T

“Obvious natural priorities” 

Likely to produce greatest ROI (Return 
On Investment) 

Likely to be quickest and easiest to 
implement. 

Probably justifying immediate action-
planning or feasibility study. 

Most likely to succeed and generate 
good practice examples 

Planning question: "If these areas 
are not already being planned for and 
prioritised, then why not?" 

“Threats should be easy to defend 
and counter” 

Current skills, funding and 
administrative requirements should be 
in place to be able to meet these 
threats. 

“Potentially attractive options” 

Likely to produce good returns if capability 
and implementation are viable, i.e. 
address weaknesses – bring in help / 
funding. 

Challenges may bring unexpected benefits 
from working outside of normal 
parameters – increase skill ranges and 
capacity. 

Good practice may come from addressing 
weaknesses – highlights for training / 
capacity building. 

Planning question: "What is stopping or 
limiting progress on implementation, are 
assumptions correct and are plans realistic 
and substantial?" 

“Potentially high risk scenarios” 

Assessment of risk crucial – ignorance is a 
poor state to be in. 

Funding and capacity should be 
reviewed regularly to ensure 
prioritisation. 

Where risk is low then we should highlight 
these issues as a low priority and not be 
distracted by them (financial planning). 

Generally threats neutralised. 

Good practice can be developed to 
show how to effectively address threats 
in limited situation. 

Planning question: "Are threats 
properly informed and organisation in 
place to deal with threats?  No 
surprises.  Regional threats be turned 
into local opportunities?" 

Where risk is high assess funding and 
capability gaps and develop mitigation 
plan. 

Planning question: "Are risks and 
impacts assessed for these issues? Where 
the risks / impacts are high are specific 
mitigation plans in place?" 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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doi: 10.2826/54587