Lomé-Togo, from 12 to 14 December 2012, the Fisheries Committee for the West-Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) organized its 5th Ministerial Conference. The event was characterized by the meeting of experts, the round table of donators and the Conference of Ministers. The FCWC presented its balance sheet, its strategic plan 2011-2025 and its short, medium and long term plans. Its technical and financial partners expressed respectively their intentions to contribute, support and assist in the implementation of the plan and its projects. The FCWC includes Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo.
Official partner of the FCWC to accompany the Peasant Organizations and Agricultural Producers(POAP) of this area, particularly for capacity building, WADAF was invited to participate in this important meeting. It was an opportunity for her to present its vision, mission and its role with the POAP. We recalled that sustainable fishing is only possible if the artisanal fishermen through their professional organizations are involved in all processes and programs undertaken for the development of the fisheries sector. It is therefore necessary that artisanal fishers are in capacity to understand and to play their proper role alongside other actors: government, industry, development projects, etc..
The POAP should be strengthened to: – Understand the issues in and around the fishing; – Structure their organizations; – Organize and manage their activities; – Express their views, expectations and needs.
Like it has already done in the CSRP area, WADAF intend to accompany the POAP of the FCWC area through the implementation of a project of training of social leaders of artisanal fisheries.
In consultation with farmers’ organizations and other actors in the artisanal fisheries of this area, we have developed a project in this direction. In close collabaration with the FCWC, we are actively seeking one or several financial partners for its implementation.
