First Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture

15th to 23rd September 2010. Banjul. First Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Organised by the NEPAD Secretariat. The conference discussions covered three broad themes as follows:

Five years after 2005 Abuja “Fish For All” Summit
Options and context for fisheries policy and governance reform in Africa
The role of African fisheries and aquaculture in the CAADP (Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme)

Background:

In 2005, African States signed the Abuja Declaration on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa, which stresses the need to:

ratify and implement international conventions for the sustainable use and protection of marine resources and the marine environment;
implement the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, in particular through: improving governance of fisheries; ensuring the environmental sustainability of fisheries; examining means to progressively replace “open access” to fisheries resources with “limited access regimes” and introducing rights-based fisheries;
take steps to control fleet and fishing capacity
equitably balance resource allocation between small-scale and industrial fishers;
empower communities, civil society and stakeholder organisations to effectively participate in policy making, planning and implementation.

Press articles:

Senego.com, 16 September 2010 (FR)