This document is intended as a guide to assist countries of the Abidjan Convention to establishing a Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) process. The guide provides practical advice on the activities and series of steps required to run a successful MSP process. It also frames MSP as part of an ongoing management cycle, and uses examples to illustrate each of the stages of an MSP process, with specific focus on examples from the countries of the Abidjan Convention or countries that have faced similar challenges from outside the region. Additionally, it includes best practices examples where countries has been particularly successful at achieving one or more steps in the MSP process. The guide is not meant to be prescriptive, instead, it provides advice and examples so that each member country of the Abidjan Convention can develop a process that suits their local setting and conditions.