August 18, 2022 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) The representatives of 7 IGAD Member States met from 16 to 18 August 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 2nd Meeting of the IGAD Fisheries Coordination Platform to better align the actions promoting sustainable fisheries in the Horn of Africa.
Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda were represented during this meeting. This initiative contributes significantly to the development of the region as the data compiled from recent reports show that the total fish production in the seven IGAD Member States is about 1 million tons per year while the potential is more than 3 million tons per year.
The terms of reference and the operational modalities of the IGAD Fisheries Coordination Platform were adopted during its first meeting in September 2021. This second meeting is an opportunity to “assess the progress made regarding ECOFISH Programme activities within the region covered by IGAD” says Fikru Regassa, State Minister of Agriculture,Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
During the working sessions, the participant IGAD Member States presented the initiatives, opportunities and challenges of their respective countries as regards the fisheries sector. The various local initiatives supported by ECOFISH Programme have also highlighted their achievements and lessons learned so far. Finally, an update was provided on the progress in promoting sustainable fishing in the region, which is ECOFISH’s main area of intervention.
Based on the information provided by the various stakeholders, the countries will benefit from the good practices shared during the interactions. Future actions will also take into account the synergies that can be created as well as the general orientation of the region.
This 2nd Meeting of the IGAD Fisheries Coordination Platform is carried out as part of the efforts of ECOFISH Programme to strengthen regional coordination and cooperation for the sustainable and integrated management of fisheries resources in Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region. This programme, funded and promoted by the European Union, is a collaboration between IGAD, IOC, COMESA, UNECA, SADC, LTA, LVFO, IOTC and the SWIOFC.
