West African fisheries experts will begin a meet in Cotonou, Benin Republic on Thursday 27th February 2014 to finalize a governance document for the sustainable management of the region’s dwindling fisheries resources, a key source of revenue for economic and social development.
More than 600,000 West Africans depend on fishing and fishery related industries, a sector that generates about 400 million US dollars annually and remains a critical source of livelihood, food security and biodiversity for the region’s teeming population.
Although West Africa accounts for one per cent of the global fish export with an annual catch of some 500,000 tons, the region is at risk of reaching exploitation limits necessitating the development of a regional mechanism for good governance and best management practices for sustainability.
The three-day meeting of the Regional Fisheries Committee will finalize the Terms of Reference for operationalizing the work of the region’s sub-committees for the governance, aquaculture and trade in the sector as well as the framework for intra-regional cooperation among the various bodies active in the sector.
The meeting, which will also be attended by directors of fisheries of Member States, partners and other stakeholders will also finalize the mechanism for the effective implementation of the regional text on trade in fisheries and avail the participants of information for accessing regional funds for agriculture.
Other participants will include representatives of the Fisheries Commission for West and Central Africa, NEPAD, FAO, the National Agricultural Investment Programmes of Member States and other stakeholders.
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