Developing an action plan for Africa’s fisheries

Stakeholders meet to formulate direction for new bureau

ETHIOPIA: The adoption of a new fisheries bureau and the development of action plans for Africa’s fisheries, aquaculture, and aquatic biodiversity sectors were central to discussions at a meeting held this week in Addis Ababa.

The 2nd meeting of the African Union Network of Centres of Excellence in Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Biodiversity (AUN-CEFAAB) brought together representatives from AU member states, academia, research institutions, and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge, and develop a roadmap for the network's future activities.

To date, the Centre of Excellence, together with AU-IBAR have conducted 21 studies; five trainings on fisheries and aquaculture.

Opening the meeting, Dr Bernice McClean, emphasised the ongoing implementation of the FishGov2 project and its broader impact on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors; and stressed the need for sustainable efforts to ensure the long-term viability of this essential work.

Pointing out the challenges highlighted at the recent COP discussions, Mathias Reusing, representing the EU Delegation to the African Union, acknowledged the continent’s diverse biodiversity while simultaneously emphasising the critical need for their sustainable management. Considering the challenges of pollution as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, he stressed the need to eliminate IUU through policies that underscore the importance of safeguarding and transforming fisheries for sustainable growth.

Prof Osama Kaddour, representing Suez University, the current Chair of the African Union Network of Centres of Excellence, spoke about the role of the university in advancing the network’s objectives. He highlighted the need for the next generation to focus on addressing pollution and the blue economy as he emphasised the need for greater information sharing among the centres to foster collaboration and enhance their collective impact.

Dr Bahiigwa, Director of the AUC’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (AUC-DARBE) echoed this sentiment saying that closer collaboration was key to maximising the impact of their work. Bahiigwa also noted the recent endorsement of six additional institutions as centres for aquatic biodiversity and the need to integrate them into the network.

The Technical Session began with presentations that focused on governance instruments, a SWOT analysis questionnaire, and a proposed operationalisation plan for the COEs. Working groups reviewed and refined these instruments, to offer finalised documents for adoption.

Representatives from institutions such as Suez University, the University of Ibadan, and Rhodes University, among others, were on hand to present their curricula, research activities, and capacity development initiatives for the 2025 academic year.

The meeting succeeded in strengthening networking and collaboration among the COEs and helped to harmonise capacity development across AU member states.