Minister of Environment and Conservation Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye of Senegal

Ndiaye said other forms of co-operation would also be included in the deal, such as maritime security.

Senegalese Fisheries Minister Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye says the inter-African agreement should give the West African nations a stronger voice when agreements with the European Union are re-negotiated.

Fishing is a vital sector which for years, in Senegal as in other countries, has been worrying as we see our stocks being depleted, Senegalese Fisheries Minister Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye said after meeting his Gambian and Bissau-Guinean counterparts.

Ndiaye said other forms of co-operation would also be included in the deal, such as maritime security, of vital importance in waters which carry boatloads of illegal immigrants bound for Europe and drugs arriving from Latin America.