ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 19 (IPS) – It’s an indictment on the worldwide meals system that, regardless of having a few of the richest and most endowed pure sources on this planet and a burgeoning youth inhabitants, West Africa spends greater than $2 billion a 12 months importing aquatic meals to feed its individuals, nearly half of which is spent by Côte d’Ivoire alone.
Fish has lengthy been a cherished staple meals in West African diets, offering round two-thirds of all animal protein and that includes in common dishes such because the Ivorian traditional, poisson braisé and Senegal’s thieboudienne.
But lately, the area’s fishing business has struggled to fulfill demand with rising exterior pressures and threats. Among the highest ranges of unlawful, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on this planet prices the area greater than $9 billion yearly, and rising vulnerability to local weather change can be impacting the sector.
These challenges to home manufacturing have coincided with a decline in fish consumption from greater than 13kg per individual a 12 months in 2008 to only over 11.5kg in 2025, regardless of the continuing recognition of fish and seafood.
From our perspective, Côte d’Ivoire, together with different West African nations, have monumental potential to embrace the funding rule to “fish the place the fish are” and reclaim meals sovereignty. Not solely would a stronger home sector cut back the import invoice, however it might additionally create much-needed jobs, particularly for younger individuals, in addition to enhancing diets and meals safety by offering extra extremely nutritious fish and seafood.
Briefly, we consider that boosting homegrown aquaculture would enable West Africa to reap the complete advantages of the blue economic system.
To that finish, Côte d’Ivoire is on the forefront of a transformative journey to get West Africa’s fishing business again on track, setting an instance for different nations.
To start with, the nation has launched an bold coverage framework devoted to rising the aquaculture sector, together with inland fisheries, which lengthen the advantages past coastal communities.
The $25.6 million Venture for the Improvement of Aggressive Worth Chains in Aquaculture and Sustainable Fisheries (ProDeCAP) focuses on enhancing marine, lagoon, and inland fisheries, rising broodstock capability, establishing industrial seed provide programs, and growing the fish feed business. It goals to spice up annual aquaculture manufacturing by 35,000 tons, including to the nation’s total fish provide instantly and not directly benefiting round 700,000 individuals, round half of that are ladies.
Equally, the Strategic Program for the Transformation of Aquaculture in Côte d’Ivoire (PSTACI) is specializing in 4 pillars to stimulate the home aquaculture sector. These embody creating jobs, significantly for younger individuals and in rural areas, in addition to piloting improvements with demonstration initiatives to extend personal funding, strengthening governance and boosting nationwide capacities for supplying fishery merchandise.
On the similar time, Côte d’Ivoire will make investments $3 million in a brand new Aquaculture Analysis Innovation Hub (ARIH), led by international analysis centre WorldFish. The hub, which is able to give attention to enhancing feed, genetics and fish well being, will assist fill the gaps in analysis and innovation to modernise the sector.
The hub will deliver WorldFish’s international experience to West Africa, leveraging 50 years of innovation in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. In 2023 alone, WorldFish developed 70 improvements, upskilled nearly 120,000 small-scale fishers, farmers, extension officers, suppliers, college students, and neighborhood employees, and facilitated the manufacturing of 436,600 tonnes of farmed fish utilizing improved instruments and applied sciences.
All of those efforts will assist fast-track the expansion of the sector and leapfrog the traditional trajectory of unsustainable practices by streamlining the adoption of greatest practices and confirmed applied sciences.
However past coverage, analysis and innovation, the ultimate piece of the puzzle is the event of the broader worth chain to make sure each hyperlink that connects the sector is resilient and efficient.
For this, Côte d’Ivoire and neighbouring nations want sturdy personal sector partnerships to determine and develop dependable provides of younger fish in addition to feed markets, processing infrastructure and gross sales platforms.
This ingredient is essential as a result of in every of those levels lies untapped alternatives for brand spanking new jobs and new sources of meals and vitamin. The expansion of the aquaculture sector is particularly essential for girls, who can discover numerous alternatives in processing and promoting fish and different aquatic meals.
To increase the adage: educating a person to fish would possibly assist feed him for a lifetime, however reworking a complete fishing and aquaculture sector will feed, nourish, make use of and construct resilience throughout an entire nation.
West Africa has each the pure sources and demand for a thriving regional fishing business. Strategic investments, insurance policies and partnerships at the moment are coming collectively to make this a actuality, providing a swell of alternatives for others to come back on board and experience the wave of Africa’s blue economic system.
H.E. Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Minister of Animal Sources and Fisheries, Côte d’Ivoire
Dr. Essam Yassin Mohammed, Director Normal of WorldFish
IPS UN Bureau
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