A team from the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) Secretariat met with representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources (MIRAH) during a working visit from 17-19 April 2024 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to follow up on the aquaculture related activities stemming from the FCWC Strategic Action Plan 2021-2030.
The working visit was a follow-up to the aquaculture training of 13 managers from the FCWC Member States that took place in Japan (January-February 2024) and aimed at reviewing the progress of the FCWC-JICA workplan for the Working Group on Aquaculture (WGAq) and other activities connected with the overall development of the aquaculture sector in the FCWC region.
The meeting’s participants discussed the types of cooperation Japan offers: funded projects (non-repayable grant and repayable credit), technical cooperation (transfer of skills) and training (in Japan or third countries). Discussion was held on the recommendation made during the training in Japan, to develop harmonized aquaculture-related texts within the FCWC. To this end, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana have been chosen as pilot countries for studies on the state of existing texts in the region and development of harmonized texts in aquaculture. The working session was used to examine and refine the terms of reference for the recruitment of the consultant to conduct the studies.
Other key outcomes of the meeting are: confirmation of future training for nominees of the region in Egypt toward the end of 2024, and confirmation that JICA’s representatives from Côte d’Ivoire will visit Ghana to discuss the study and the development of harmonized texts.
