In view of the global evaluation of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) that will be carried out by the Commission in 2021, the author highlights the key points which will need to be assessed from the perspective of the impacts on African coastal communities. The author also suggests essential improvements to be made for the future of SFPAs so that they better respond to the needs of these communities.
West Africa has pioneered several decades of artisanal fisheries management reform. Yet there are still major obstacles to co-management: a lack of political will reflected in low budgetary allocations; inadequate and poorly targeted support for fisher organizations; poorly defined roles and responsibilities of fishers in co-management; lack of enforcement of inshore exclusive zones; and inadequate defense of human rights and particularly the important role of women.
The first Stakeholder Consultation Meeting jointly organised by NEPAD (The New Partnership for Africa’s Development) and the FAO in support of the implementation of the FAO Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa will take place on 10-12 May 2011 in Midrand, South Africa. It will bring together participants from regional fisheries organisations, regional economic communities, donors as well as civil society. The three-day event will consist of a one-day plenary session and two days of consultation in working groups.
The aim is to strengthen and accelerate the fisheries and aquaculture sector in terms of their governance, management and adaptability to climate change. By doing this, the participants will address the rising importance of fisheries in meeting the MDG objectives; and the sector’s crucial role in economic development and poverty alleviation in Africa, in line with the CAADP targets.
The CAOPA (The African Confederation of Small-scale Fisheries Professional Organizations) will participate to the event, and has drafted a series of recommendations for African governments and for international, regional and national institutions. These include that:
Access to resources should be conditional to sustainability criteria;
Priority should be given to local fleets, especially small-scale fisheries;
Fisheries agreements should be concluded on a scientific basis while respecting the precautionary approach;
Priority should be given to fishing for human consumption;
Effective participation of local actors in co-management plans should be promoted by policy frameworks;
Decision-makers should be engaged in an integrated coastal planning strategy;
Parties of fisheries agreements should reinforce their actions towards a real partnership in order to develop efficient management systems and to avoid overexploitation;
Value-adding activities should be promoted by structural actions in order to give SSF priority access to markets;
International fish trade should be fair and equitable;
Standards and regulations should be introduced in a way that allows producers to comply with them;
A permanent participation mechanism should be established in order to inform and involve small-scale fisheries professionals.
The CAOPA also stresses that small-scale fisheries professional organizations should be strengthened by:
Setting up an appropriate deliberative process in order to confront ideas and interests and take coherent and legitimate decisions;
Defining ways to formally identify and integrate actors;
Establishing an appropriate information sharing system;
Building capacity by education and awareness raising;
Making fishing communities aware of climate change impacts and how to mitigate related risks.
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