Participants from several West and Central African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Cameroon, will convene in Abuja, Nigeria on 6–7 August 2018 to discuss approaches to boosting aquaculture production in the region under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program.
Funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), TAAT is a knowledge- and innovation-based response to the need to scale up proven technologies across Africa. The program aims to support AfDB’s Feed Africa Strategy to eliminate the continent’s current high import of food through ‘commodity technology delivery compacts’ between implementing institutions, including WorldFish.
David Shearer, WorldFish Director, International Partnerships and Program Delivery: “Aquaculture is one of the key compacts of TAAT. It has a special focus around self-sufficiency of inland fisheries, which is also a WorldFish objective. Our engagement with the TAAT program will enable us to achieve our goal of improving the diversity of fish in people’s diet.”
Specifically, the aquaculture compact aims to ensure access to improved fish seed by 80 percent of fish farmers, a 20 percent increase in aquaculture production, a 10-30 percent reduction in fish imports, improved household nutrition and employment creation for youth in the value chain.
During the workshop, which is being organized by WorldFish, delegates from participating countries, representing stakeholders from the private sector, national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES), universities, research institutions and others, will present their main challenges and opportunities, current programs for aquaculture development and baseline data on aquaculture production.
A similar workshop was organized from 9-10 July 2018 in Nairobi for East and Southern African countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia).
Dr. Harrison, Country Director, WorldFish Egypt and Nigeria: “By applying proven innovative technologies, TAAT is already transforming the aquaculture value chains across the continent. By embracing new technologies and ways of doing things, Africa is likely to catch up and surpass other aquaculture-producing regions of the world, thereby enhancing food security, creating jobs and uplifting the livelihoods of rural women and the youth.”
In the same week as the Abuja workshop, Dr. Gareth Johnstone, WorldFish Director General, will visit Nigeria to meet government officials and other stakeholders.
Nigeria is a new focal country for WorldFish, which is hosted by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan. During the visit, Dr. Johnstone will discuss further avenues for collaboration between the two institutions as well as other regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
For more information or to request an interview, contact:
Prof. Bernadette Fregene (Aquaculture Compact Leader)
Mobile tel: +234 803 347 618 4
Email: B.Fregene@cgiar.org
Web: worldfishcenter.org / fish.cgiar.org
Photography: flickr.com/photos/theworldfishcenter
About WorldFish
WorldFish is an international, nonprofit research organization that harnesses the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce hunger and poverty. Globally, more than one billion poor people obtain most of their animal protein from fish and 800 million depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. WorldFish is a member of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
About CGIAR
CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium, in collaboration with hundreds of partners.