Africa produces 9.9 million tonnes of fish a year and yet its share of global trade in this valuable commodity is just 4.9%
NAIROBI, Kenya,
March 2, 2015/ — Anew pan-African project has been launched to strengthen the continent’s
great potential for increased trade in fish. Africa, a continent that
is endowed with plentiful fish resources in oceans, rivers, lakes,
floodplains and fish farms accounts for just 4.9% of global fish trade.
More efficient trade could significantly improve income and nutrition
for millions of Africans, particularly those 12.3 million that are
directly employed in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
(Mr.
Felix Kosgey, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and
Fisheries, Kenya, officially addresses participants at the launch of the
FishTrade for a Better Future programme)
Trade
is constrained by inadequate market and trade infrastructure and poor
policy implementation. High transport costs, complex and unaligned trade
rules and poor market information also prevent Africa from optimizing
the social and economic benefits available.
‘FishTrade for a Better Future’ (http://www.worldfishcenter.
will strengthen value chains and, with a focus on sustainability, give
better access to intra-regional markets and subsequently improve food
and nutritional security and income in sub-Saharan Africa.
Stephen
J Hall, Director General, WorldFish: “Africa has the potential to
develop its fisheries and aquaculture to play a much greater role in
promoting food security, providing livelihoods and supporting economic
growth. Per capita consumption has fallen, despite Africa’s great
abundance of aquatic resources. FishTrade will create the foundations
for a more solid, productive and sustainable building-up of this great,
continent-wide, resource.”
Hamady
Diop, Programme Manager Fisheries and Aquaculture, NEPAD: “Recent years
have seen increased growth in aquaculture. FishTrade will provide the
opportunity to learn from past successes and failures and governments
will be given the right information to be able to create the incentives
and infrastructure that investors need to meet local demand and
penetrate higher value-added export markets.”
Steve
Wathome, Programme Manager, Agriculture and Rural Development
Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, European Commission: “The EU
is convinced that the Fish Trade programme will significantly contribute
towards the fisheries sector in Africa. Trade has been identified as
one of the major challenges affecting growth of the fish sector in
Africa, with challenges being notable with regard to intra-Africa trade
and accessing global markets.”
Prof.
Ahmed El Sawalhy Director AU-IBAR: “Trade plays a major role in the
fishery industry as a creator of employment, food supplier, income
generator, and contributor to economic growth and development in several
African countries. Domestic and intra-regional trade of fish (both
marine and inland waters) is important with great potential for
enhancing regional integration and food and nutrition security. However
many AU Member States still face several constraints in improving their
fish trade and marketing sector. This project will enable alignment of
policies at the continental level and open-up fish trade that we believe
will have a strong effect on the alleviation of poverty in some of our
poorest regions.”
FishTrade
will work in four ‘corridors’ to generate information on the structure,
products and value of intra-regional fish trade and its contribution to
food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Recommendations will be prepared
on policies, fish certification guidelines and quality and safety
standards, as well as regulations. A second stage will focus on
strengthening the trade capacities of private sector associations, in
particular of women fish processors, women traders and all aquaculture
producers, in order for them to make better use of expanding trade
opportunities through competitive small- and medium-scale enterprises.
Finally
Fish Trade for a Better Future will support adoption and implementation
of appropriate policies, fish certification procedures, standards and
regulations by key stakeholders in intra-regional trade.
The
program will equip governments with the capacities needed to implement
the African Union Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and
Aquaculture in Africa. In addition, it has been designed to support the
work of governments towards implementation of the Malabo Declaration on
Accelerated Agricultural Growth And Transformation for Shared
Prosperity And Improved Livelihoods