Addressing the urgent need for reform in African fishing sector

Establishing an African policy for fisheries and aquaculture

UGANDA: Recognising the essential role that fisheries and aquaculture play in the lives of over 10 million Africans, most of whom are among the rural poor, the African Union presented a strategy on the continental policy direction for fisheries and aquaculture at a side event during the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) Conference held in Uganda last week.

The presentation, led by Simon Owani Olok, Senior Policy Officer for Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), emphasised the importance of these sectors for ensuring food security, improving nutrition, and enhancing the livelihoods of individuals.

Weak and uncoordinated institutions, ineffective governance, and policies, however, continue to lead to the over-exploitation of commercially important fish stocks – effectively limiting the sector’s sustainability and contribution to the social as well as economic development.

Despite the rapid growth of aquaculture in Africa, the sector faces numerous challenges that must be addressed for it to fill the gap left by declining capture fisheries effectively.

In a recognition of the need for urgent reform, the AU has made several high-level political commitments to restore fisheries to their maximum sustainable yields and to promote the sustainable development of aquaculture.

Commitments include initiatives to develop the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS), which was endorsed by African Union Heads of State and Government in 2014 and serves as the continent’s blueprint for the sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The PFRS aims to realise the full potential of the aquaculture sector to generate wealth, provide social benefits, and contribute to Africa’s economic development through market-led, sustainable strategies. Implementation is guided by a continental 10-year plan of action, which aligns with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and key political declarations.

Providing a structured guide for national and regional policy coherence, its main objectives include sustainable management, increased productivity and profitability, wealth generation, improved social welfare, enhanced nutrition and food security, and strengthened regional collaboration.

Several key milestones have been achieved since the introduction of the PFRS including the establishment of the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM), as well as platforms such as the African Platform of Regional Institutions for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Systems (APRIFAS) and the Policy Research Network for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PRNFAA).

Sixteen AU Member States have fully aligned their fisheries and aquaculture policies with the PFRS, and support continues for others to do the same.

In addition, the AU has embarked on increasing awareness among policymakers about the actual value of fish resources, creating an enabling environment for investment, and developing practical strategies to unlock the sector’s socio-economic potential.