Field visit of Liberia’s Bureau of National Fisheries new office under construction by WARFP
From 18th to 24th May 2017, the Secretary General of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), Mr. Séraphin Dedi Nadje, as a resource person from the West Africa region, joined a World Bank implementation support team, on a mission in Liberia. The team consisted of Jingjie Chu, West Africa Regional Fisheries Program (WARFP) country task team leader for Liberia, Stephen Akester, Fisheries Advisor and Consultant and Patience Nyenpan, Team Assistant.
The mission worked with the Government of Liberia on: providing advice on the strategic direction of the fisheries sector reform, taking into account the recent Executive Order No. 84 on the Management of Liberia Fishery Resources; reviewing progress of Africa Catalytic Growth Fund (ACGF) and additional financing; and conducting consultation on the design of the second phase of the WARFP for Liberia.
Multiple meetings were held with management and staff of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MoFDP), the Liberia Maritime Authority (LiMA), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF), the Liberia Artisanal Fisheries Association (LAFA), and the Project Implementation Unit (PIU).
The mission also embarked on field trips to the current BNF headquarters, Mesurado pier, the Fisheries Monitoring Center, Robersport landing facility, Co-Management Association (CMA) around Robertsport and fishing communities in West Point.
Key findings of the mission and agreements reached with the Government of Liberia (GoL) were documented for the design of the second phase of WARFP for Liberia.
The mission expresses their gratitude to the PIU and BNF staff for their assistance and collaboration during the mission, especially to Dr. James F. Kollie, Commissioner of the Liberia Maritime Authority, and also new Chairperson of FCWC Conference of Ministers, for his guidance and support.
