In December 2019, a group of fishermen and women fish processors in the capital was dislodged due to the lease of the land by the Guinean government to a luxury hotel
In response to a letter sent by CFFA, its African partner CAOPA and its development partner Bread for the World (BFW) to the Guinean Ministry of Fisheries to protest for the eviction of a fishing community, the Minister has replied that his “department makes it a point to accompany the fishermen and women fish processors in accordance with the international obligations entered into by Guinea, taking into account the means and spaces available […] so that the community can continue to carry out their activities in the best possible conditions.”
To recall, in December 2019, CFFA denounced the forceful eviction of fishermen and women fish processors from the artisanal landing site of Kouléwondy in Conakry. The reason for the eviction was the leasing of the land in June 2011 for a period of 60 years to Mangalis Hotel Group for the construction of Hotel Noom. After several years of negotiation to relocate the community, the alternative site selected was considered too small to host the women fish processors.
In a letter to the Fisheries Minister, CFFA, CAOPA and BFW reminded Guinea Fisheries Minister of his commitment, at a workshop organized in Conakry in 2019 on International Women’s day, to improve the working conditions of women in artisanal fisheries. Our letter also underscored Guinea’s endorsement of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines to Secure Small-Scale Fisheries. The Minister has informed CFFA of a project to expand the space of the alternative site so that the women from Kouléwondy have a suitable location to pursue their fish processing activities.
An archive picture of Kouléwondy landing site in Conakry on low tide with Hotel Noom, from Mangalis Hotel Group, in the background.