In September 2024, the Ministers responsible for Fisheries of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) met in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to discuss the theme ‘ Accelerating action for sustainable and resilient oceans, fisheries and aquaculture in OECP member countries and regions’.
The FAO organised a workshop in Accra (Ghana) from 5 to 7 December on the theme: "Optimising food and nutritional security and the benefits of small pelagic species production in sub-Saharan Africa". In a joint presentation, CAOPA and CFFA warned of the impact of the decline in sardinella in West Africa on fishers, women fish processors and consumers.
Two years after receiving funding from the EU-Côte d'Ivoire SFPA to buy a refrigerated container, we examine how the women of the Société Coopérative de Femmes Mareyeuses Grossistes et Détaillantes in the fishing port of San Pedro are faring. Beyond fish preservation, enabling women to become autonomous remains a challenge.
Industrial fishing operations in Cameroon’s waters are dominated by trawlers of foreign origin in joint ventures with local entrepreneurs where 83% of these vessels have been found to be connected to entities in China. These trawlers are allowed to exploit fish stocks beyond 3 nautical miles of the coastline, including the highly prized shrimps.
Driven by a local NGO, which is committed to community development as well as turtle protection, Côte d'Ivoire's first marine protected area (MPA) is an example of how conservation can be achieved while respecting the rights and access of artisanal fishing communities to their traditional fishing grounds.
This article by Andréa Durighello analyses, through the example of the Ivory Coast, the value of women's cooperatives and associations in African artisanal fisheries: in the professionalisation of the trade, in strengthening capacities, in representing women in professional organisations and, above all, in responding unitedly to the hazards of life.
Even though it is illegal for foreign vessels to fish in Ghana, over the last decade Chinese-owned vessels have proliferated. Journalist Kwabena Adu Koranteng investigates how business people well connected with power act as fronts for Chinese fishing industry. Ghana loses 50M€/year but more concerning is the fact that severe overfishing is impacting food security and nutrition in the country.
The European Parliament's Fisheries Committee has highlighted the impact of the fishmeal industry in Mauritania on the food security of West African populations and called on Mauritania, the EU and neighbouring countries to support and "initiate an international dialogue" for the creation of an RFMO for shared stocks.
The 40-foot container is the first real impact perceived by fishmongers and processors from the sustainable fisheries partnership agreement between Côte d'Ivoire and the European Union, but the women face another challenge: access to credit and thus to the liquidity needed to build up working capital, which is necessary to buy fish.
The Grand Béréby Marine Protected Area will cover about 2400 square kilometers of ocean and will include a 54 km stretch of coastal water, to be “free from industrial fishing”. Besides vital fisheries, the area is home to endangered populations of leatherback, olive ridley and green sea turtles and threatened populations of sharks and rays.
