The Council of Ministers: is the supreme body of LVFO consisting of Ministers responsible for fisheries in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Council holds a regular session every two years. Its first regular session was held in Kampala, Uganda on 19^th December 1996. Amongst other important issues undertaken by this Council of Ministers at the time was the appointment of the Executive Secretary.

The last session of the council of Ministers was held in June 2002, in Nairobi, Kenya. The next regular session will be held in May 2004. At each of these sessions the Council appoints a Chairperson. The Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, in the Republic of Uganda is the current Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.

Policy Steering Committee (PSC): is comprised of the Permanent Secretaries in the ministries responsible for fisheries development and management in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Amongst its other functions, the PSC adopts recommendations on policy, which it forwards to the Council of Ministers.

The Executive Committee:Comprising heads of the departments responsible for fisheries and heads of fisheries research institutions in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Heads of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Projects and the head of the European Union funded project on stock assessment are ex-officio members. This Committee’s main functions are to review the activities of LVFO and to give guidance to the Executive Secretary on the implementation of policy and decisions taken by the Council of Ministers.