In 2006, the EAF-Nansen Project opened with a broad and ambitious objective: to enable African coastal countries to manage their fisheries in a way that would safeguard the health of marine ecosystems. The Norwegian government has made this endeavour possible, through the re-orientation of the long-standing Nansen Programme, which has supported sustainable fisheries and management in developing countries since 1974. The research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen, is the primary tool of the Nansen Progr amme. One of the most technologically advanced of its kind in the world, the ship is operated and staffed by the IMR. The ship has become a unique floating platform for research, training and the exchange of knowledge. It has provided opportunities for hundreds of scientists from developing countries to improve their learning and research capabilities. The surveys carried out and information collected over the decades constitute an invaluable archive of scientific data and information on fisheri es and marine ecosystems. This publication documents the achievements of the EAF-Nansen Project, the work that preceded it, and the objectives of the coming phase of the project.