Women involved in artisanal fishing are considered as key actors in the socio-economic development of West African countries. Yet, the importance of their contribution is not well known. Thus, in 1995, IDAF Programme set up a Working Group to look at their role and issues related to gender in fishing communities. This group, composed of eleven women, all distinguished scientists and rural development experts in the sub-region, undertook ten case studies in fourteen (14) regions in eight countries in West Africa: M’Bour and Joal in Senegal, Kaback and Kamsar in Guinea, Koko in the Delta State in Nigeria, Limbe and Kribi in Cameroon, Brufut and Gunjur in the Gambia, Grand-Lahou and Adiake in Côte d’Ivoire, Aguégués and Ayiguinnou in Benin and finally Elmina in Ghana. The main activity of women is the processing and marketing of fishery products. Their expenses were on, first, food [50 per cent], then childcare and finally savings. There were some common problems that all the women faced: lack of credit, absence of storage infrastructure, dependence on men for fish supply, hygiene and sometimes health problems caused by smoking, and lack of training in accountancy and management. Some recommendations that the working group made were: strengthening women’s organizations in Ghana, the Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire, evaluating production costs and the incomes generated by women’s activities in the fishing communities of Nigeria, Benin and Guinea, and assessing the nutrition, hygiene, and health aspects of women and children in the fishing communities of Cameroon and Senegal.