The Fish Trade Working Group’s focus is centred upon knowledge exchange, skills and experience. We are promoting the concepts of investment in people and human resource development as being fundamental to the continuity and long-term success of fish trade for African states.
The Fish Trade Working Group is building a network of collaborators, the aim being to interlink and share each other’s experience and expertise. The “mapping of Africa’s international fish trade” is ongoing. This will form the basis to look at “demand” and “supply” issues, and how it can be linked to policies and regulations setting a new framework for national, regional and international trade.
Both the small-scale as well as industrial fisheries sectors are part of this process. The Trade Working Group is lead by INFOSA. It consists of 10 members from regional and international organisations as the core group members. Other members are co-opted as and when the need arises. The WG determines areas of priority, whilst day to day management is carried out by INFOSA as the lead for the TWG. Over and above, 41 collaborators provide inputs on hot topics with regards to trade. Focus groups will be set up to debate specific issues as and when required. The work is carried out on a voluntary basis and new collaborators are welcomed.
The Area of Work – Fish Trade
The international trade in fish and fish products is fast expanding and in 2007, it was valued at USD 92 billion with developing countries accounting for 50 percent of all fish exports. The EU is the world's largest market for fish, reflecting growing domestic consumption. The EU imported USD23 billion worth of fish and fisheries products from non-EU suppliers in 2007.
Although Africa is a huge continent, with an enormous coastline, the continent only accounts for 8 million tonnes or 5.1 per cent of the world’s total fish production (capture plus aquaculture, 2007). The largest producers in Africa include Egypt (just over 1 million tonnes in 2007), Morocco (894,000 tonnes) and South Africa (683,000 tonnes).
Trading in fish is a mainstay of many African economies and represents a significant source of foreign exchange earnings, in addition to the sector’s important role in income generation, employment and food security. However, there is a lack of market orientation in Africa. African exporters of fish and fish products are generally not competitive in the international market and markets are limited to a few traditional markets and traditional products. Africa’s general exclusion from value addition to seafood causes fish producers to strangle financially, with little downstream benefits offered to local economies.
African countries, sometimes through these hard lessons, are now maturing and taking control of their own destiny. Developed countries remain keen to work in partnership with Africa, as Africa still has a significant natural resource base for international trade. The challenge for Africa to stay competitive lies in differentiating its products. Aiming at the value added product market is a key to success.
Africa has for a long time acted separately on various issues of common interest and one of the objectives of the Partnership for African Fisheries is to regroup all African states to speak as one voice on international policy issues, and ensure fisheries are given proper recognition in policies on regional economic integration. The primary impact of PAF will be through its positive impact on the poor by increasing the role that fisheries play in generating economic growth.
What the Trade Working Group is doing
In the inception year, The Fish Trade Working Group collaborated with the FAO and INFOSA in the organisation of a workshop for the African Network of Fish Technology and safety in Windhoek in December 2009. The workshop was attended by representatives from 19 African Countries and 13 regional and international organisations.
The Fish Trade Working Group also sponsored the participation of two participants from DRC and Zimbabwe to the SADC Technical Committee meeting in February 2010.
A flyer explaining the Working of the TWG has been produced for information purposes.
A study to Map out “Africa’s International Fish Trade” is underway. Other case studies are presently being discussed.
