NEPAD and FAO discuss role of fisheries and aquaculture in Africa…

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NEPAD Agency Senior Fisheries Advisor, Dr. Sloans Chimatiro

13 May 2011, Johannesburg – The first Stakeholder Consultation Meeting jointly organised by the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (the NEPAD Agency) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations was concluded yesterday in Midrand, South Africa.

The three day engagement which ran from 10-12 May brought together participants from Regional Fisheries Organisations, Regional Economic Communities, donors as well as civil society organisations to strengthen and accelerate the fisheries and aquaculture sector in terms of their governance, management and adaptability to climate change. 

Giving an overview to the engagement, NEPAD Agency Senior Fisheries Advisor, Dr. Sloans Chimatiro, said the stakeholder engagement was devoted to address the “rising importance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in fighting poverty and its crucial role for economic development in Africa with regard to climate change”. He noted that the working sessions aimed at building consensus on a common framework through which FAO and NEPAD Agency would world together in the development of African fisheries

and aquaculture. Furthermore, the Consultation intended to identify fisheries development priorities and linking them to existing Regional Fisheries Strategies and ensure that Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) harmonise their strategies. In his remarks, he also reiterated the importance of alignment and integration of FAO programmes in Fisheries in Africa which have been jointly identified by African leaders through NEPAD and the African Union.

“Currently, governments in Africa and regional bodies are not adequately equipped with systems to sustain effective fisheries and aquaculture programmes”, said FAO Representative in South Africa, Ms Rosebud Kurwijila.”The success, she said, will not only depend on the development and implementation of a Comprehensive African Fisheries Reform Strategy and adaptation plans promoted by FAO and the NEPAD Agency, but also on the ability to pull together enough financial resources to support the implementation of such initiatives”.

Dr. Tobias Takavarasha, NEPAD Agency Senior Agricultural Policy and Investment Officer, stressed the crucial partnership between NEPAD and FAO in strengthening the capacity of Africa to put in place the Comprehensive African Fisheries Reform Strategy (CAFRS) and advocacy of fisheries and fish depending communities, which are most vulnerable to climate change, marginalisation and HIV and AIDS. 

The objectives of such a Comprehensive African Fisheries Strategy must be, according to Dr. Nathanael Hishamunda, Senior Fishery Planning Officer of FAO in Rome, to enhance governmental and regional capacities to develop and implement efficient governance systems, policy frameworks and instruments with regard to climate change.

At the end of the three day sessions, the participants drafted a series of recommendations for FAO’s Strategy for African Fisheries and Aquaculture, as well as priorities for African governments and for international, regional and national institutions.

According to the outcome discussions, priority should be given to the review of existing information on initiatives, programmes and relevant actors through an information sharing system. In this context, it was agreed to adequately define ways to formally identify and integrate actors and also to share these information. The outcome of the review will also define and prioritise appropriate action plans as well as key partners.  Such an information sharing system will help to strengthen effective communication channels for fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategic dialogue in Africa.

There was consensus to support the development of a strong “African Voice” on global fisheries and aquaculture issues, with a focus on climate change and disaster risk management under a NEPAD-led Think Tank. The participants stressed the importance of integrating climate change considerations into fishery management plans.  NEPAD’s participation and contribution in this regard at the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, at the end of 2011, was therefore highly recommended.

The participants stressed the importance of integrating climate change considerations into fishery management plans.  NEPAD’s participation and contribution in this regard at the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, in December 2011, was therefore highly recommended.

For more information contact:

Dr. Nathanael Hishamunda
Senior Fishery Planning Officer, FAO, Rome.
Tel: +39 06 570 54 122
Email: Nathanael.Hishamunda@fao.org

Dr. Sloans Chimatiro

Senior Fisheries Advisor, NEPAD Agency, Midrand, Johannesburg.
Tel: +27 11 256 3606
Email: sloansc@nepad.org

Dr. Joachim Laubhouet-Akadié

Senior Field Programme Officer, FAO, Accra.
Tel: +233 302 675000
Email: Joachim.Laubhouet@fao.org