21/5/2018/AfDB
Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing represents US$ 1.2 billion loss in revenue for West African countries alone. Some of this loss is due to inadequate governance in the sector. There is a growing awareness among African countries and regional bodies dedicated to maritime economy, of the need to strengthen capacity in this sector and empower government ministries for negotiations.
To respond to this need, the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) in partnership with the African Natural Resources Centre of the African Development Bank held a regional seminar on negotiating fishing agreements and concessions for francophone countries.
The first of the two workshops took place at the Bank’s Headquarters in Abidjan, 14-19 May 2018.
Kwame Mfodwo, the Bank’s Fisheries Legal Expert, coordinated the seminar attended by technical personnel from the relevant ministries in coastal francophone countries, and featured negotiation simulations as well as experience sharing in the fisheries sector.
The workshop, he said advances the ALSF’s mission to build sustainable legal capacity in Africa, in synergy with African Development Bank’s High 5 priorities of Feeding Africa and Improving the Quality of Life in Africa. The workshop empowered regional member countries whose economies are affected, with tools to negotiate access agreements and concessions in the best interest of their respective countries, he added.
The Director-General of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Gabon,Micheline Schummer Gnandji, underscored the essence of the workshop, noting that it enabled participants to share experiences and competencies for successful negotiation of deals in the sector.
“We are hoping to have more of these capacity building workshops, they are essential for Africa to move forward,” she added.