The Mami Wata project received 13 pilot project proposals from countries in the area of the Gulf of Guinea and Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystems. Three of the country proposals have been identified by the Mami Wata project and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and these are currently being implemented on local to national levels in the countries: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

The three pilot projects play a central role in the Mami Wata project, as they provide proofs-of-concept and learning opportunities for Integrated Ocean Management (IOM). By working across sectors and with local stakeholder groups, the projects are applying tools, methods and processes on integrating Ecologically or Biologically Significant marine Areas (EBSAs), Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Marine Environment Reporting (SoME) in marine management. They are supporting hands-on learning and are applying practical lessons to foster a community of practice. Eventually, they underpin national and regional level capacity development and policy framework development, in response to regional and international commitments.