On 11 – 12 May 2017, the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), in collaboration with INFOPÊCHE, an intergovernmental organisation for marketing and cooperation services for fisheries products in Africa based in Côte d’Ivoire, trained 20 representatives of fisheries organisations in Togo in Fish trade data collection.
The objective of the workshop was to acknowledge the use of a prepared FCWC manual for harmonized fisheries data collection and dissemination using an online dedicated data base. Specifically, the workshop was to: take stock of the national collection of trade information on fishery products; train enumerators to use the survey manual and survey forms; train supervising officers to publish and disseminate price statements; and conduct practical exercises for collecting prizes at landing sites and fish markets chosen by the Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Opening the workshop, the Secretary General of the FCWC, Mr Seraphin Nadje Dedi, stated that “the objective to support the promotion of trade and data information on fisheries products in West Africa is part of the development of fish trade activities for the socio-economic benefits of our population.”
Mr Ahoedo Kossi, Head of the Fisheries Promotion Section, thanked the technical and financial partners of the activity – FCWC, COMHAFAT and INFOPÊCHE – for their support. He observed that the training of officers would contribute to improving fisheries data collection in Togo by introducing the collection of data related to fish trade.
At the end of the workshop participants were sensitized, informed and trained in methodologies for the statistical collection of trade information on fisheries products; experiences in tracking landings and raising market prices were shared; and data collection agents took control of the technical documents for collection of prices and the use of the database for the on-line recording of prices.
Participants also made recommendations such as
creating a framework for cooperation among all the national agencies present at the workshop to coordinate the collection of prices for fishery products;
providing support to the organisations responsible for the collection of trade data on fisheries products;
identifying a focal point for communication to FCWC and INFOPECHE collected data on a regular basis.
Similar training had taken place in Benin and will be replicated in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in the coming weeks as part of the FCWC annual plan to promote fish trade activities in the sub region.
