Fish4ACP: Fisheries and aquaculture value chains for sustainable development

Oyster harvesting in Senegal, fishing for sprat, sardines and lates in Tanzania's Lake Tanganyika, and the catching of seabob shrimp in Guyana. These were some of the fishing activities portrayed in the second edition of the virtual tour of the Fish4ACP programme, which was organized by the FAO Fisheries Division. Participants included Fish4ACP’s main partners, including the European Commission, FAO, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as stakeholders who are cooperating on the implementation of the initiative at the local level.

Senior Policy Officer at BMZ, Nina Neubecker, highlighted Fish4ACP’s multi-faceted approach to sustainable development, through its promotion of diversified diets while bolstering youth and women empowerment and creating jobs. “The potential of fisheries and aquaculture are not yet fully exploited everywhere,” Neubecker said.

Head of Unit for Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries at the EU Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), Leonard Mizzi agreed: “Fish4ACP is able to operationalize shorter supply circuits to local markets. Local food systems and local fish production can strengthen local and small- to medium-size enterprises”, he said. Mizzi congratulated the FAO and OACPS teams for the success of the project so far.

Director of the FAO Fisheries Division, Manuel Barange emphasized the multidimensional approach of FAO’s work through Fish4ACP, such as food security, food loss and food waste, women’s empowerment, sustainable trade and markets, and ecosystem health. “COVID-19 has a strong impact on the demand for fish. The various projects address the entire value chain, connecting with supply and demand, as well as transport, trade. That is why Fish4ACP is so important,” he added.

The recording of the webinar can be found here.