FAO’s Programmes and activities in Senegal visited by Delegation of the European Parliament

A delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Development travelled to Senegal to assess the European Union’s development portfolio in the country. The focus areas of the mission included vaccine development, EU support to the Great Green Wall (GGW),climate adaptation of coastal communities, sustainable fisheries and equal opportunities.

The mission included a visit to the Resilience and Intensive Reforestation Project for the Safeguarding of Territories and Ecosystems in Senegal (RIPOSTES). Co-financed by the EU and the GEF, the RIPOSTES project is implemented by FAO with the support of the Senegalese Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition through its Agency for Reforestation and the Great Green Wall.

The delegation visited the Kaydara farm school in the Fatick region. The school promotes youth employment through agroecology and provides young Senegalese with opportunities to start sustainable agri-businesses in the GGW area.

During the visit, the delegation also had the opportunity to exchange with Robert Gouantoueu Guei, Head of the Sub-Regional Office for West Africa and FAO Representative in Senegal and his team.

Another project visited by the delegation was the RENACVAH (Réseau national des Acteurs de la Chaine de valeur des Huîtres au Sénégal) project in the Somone natural reserve. This project is part of the FAO-implemented FISH4ACP programme, which is supported by the European Union and the Government of Germany.

The FISH4ACP programme is focused on enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of value chains, while ensuring that economic improvements go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and social inclusiveness.

During the visit, delegates talked to FAO specialists and women oyster farmers and witnessed the impact of the project on the communities through adapting to climate change in coastal and marine areas, developing the oyster value chain and empowering women.

In Senegal, the FISH4ACP programme is modernizing oyster-processing techniques, creating jobs and protecting mangrove ecosystems.

You can read more about the programme here.