The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has convened more than 100 experts to discuss and draw a road map for the utilization of the results in the view of adopting a sustainable management of the fisheries resources of the ECOWAS maritime domain.
The meeting tagged ‘Improved Regional Fisheries Governance in Western Africa (PESCAO)’ is funded by the European Union (EU), while FAO provides technical support on Monday in Abuja.
Urszula Solkiewicz, Program Officer Regional Co-operation Section, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said the meeting was to unveiled results delivered by the European and African research institutes to ‘Improved Regional Fisheries Governance in Western Africa’, known as the PESCAO Programme.
She said the EU has been supporting the Economic Community of West African States to deliver on its commitment to ensure integration of fisheries and aquaculture into the regional agriculture development agenda through the PESCAO programme.
” The program developed and implemented in close partnership with ECOWAS, the PESCAO programme has been effective in laying the foundations for supporting the a Western Africa Fisheries and Aquaculture Regional Policy, which now serves as a Roadmap to the community.
She said that livelihoods and incomes depends on how one is able to manage this complex and confusing environment, it is also important that those managering it have adequate knowledge of the ecosystems and the fishery to allow them to respond in management actions.
According to her, the three day Regional Meeting will enable the policy makers to meet the scientists in order to discuss what has been delivered and how those results should be later utilised at the national and regional level.
The FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Fred Kafeero, represented by the Head of FAO Nigeria, Northeast Office, Mr Al Hassan Cisse said the workshop is aimed at sharing the outcomes of Component 3 and ensuring deserved level of visibility of the PESCAO program.
He said the role and importance ECOWAS attaches to fisheries development, fisheries management and the promotion of regional cooperation demonstrates how countries must take a leading role and set narratives in sustainable fisheries governance in West Africa and beyond.
He commended EU and the European Commission for the support in promoting sustainable fisheries development in West Africa and their commitment to the region’s fishery capacity development and fishing communities.
“Since 2018, the three complementary components of PESCAO Programme
have offered benefits to the region with enhanced contributions of fisheries resources to sustainable development, food security, and poverty alleviation across West Africa which include:
“The Demersal Ecosystem project (DEMERSTEM), through the Institute Agro is a collaboration between ten research institutions that aims to support and improve the production of scientific advice on the status of important demersal species stocks.
“The Fisheries Management and Resilience of Small Pelagics in West Africa project (GREPPAO), under the University of Portsmouth focuses on economic and social issues associated with critical small pelagic fisheries and communities in West Africa.
“The Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic, CECAF-PESCAO project, under FAO framework supports West African countries in improving fisheries management advice, knowledge exchange and advancing knowledge on the small-scale fisheries sector”, he said.
He however, reaffirmed FAO’s commitment, and that of its partners of L’Institute Agro and the University of Plymouth to continue technical support towards sustainable fisheries in the region throughout the 4 years of the project.
Amadou Tall, PESCAO Programme Team Leader said that “by leveraging the expertise of the various institutions would set the narrative for fisheries governance and ensure that vital resources are managed sustainably across the ECOWAS maritime domain and beyond”.
The evidence-based approaches prompted by PESCAO Component 3 and the outcomes of the Abuja regional meeting have taken into account the latest scientific knowledge crucial to achieving sustainable fisheries across West Africa.
The experts are representatives of the Directors of Fisheries and aquaculture, research institute, development partners, non-state actors, European Union, African Union, USAID, and FAO.
FAO, Institut Agro, and the University of Portsmouth respectively are leading the projects that make up Component 3 of PESCAO.
