Background information:

In 2010, the Government of Angola targeted continental fisheries in the framework of the implementation of the fight against poverty programme and the national strategy for food and nutrition security. As such, in 2012, the Government requested and obtained the assistance of FAO in the development of artisanal fisheries in the area of the Lake N’golome - located in the province of Kwanza Norte in the North-Western part of Angola - to reduce the impact of post-harvest losses, a major constraint to the development of the fisheries sector.

Justification

The potential of fresh water fisheries is not realised, challenged by significant constraints linked to:

• Structural weaknesses in fishers’  knowledge and skills  to make adequate use of fisheries resources;
• Lack of basic infrastructure to efficiently preserve, process, store and place fish on the market;
• Poor technical and financial capacity and lack of support by the extension services to drive the value chain development process for efficient commercialization of fish.

This institutional weakness is also reflected in terms of statistics on catches that are almost non-existent for inland fisheries.

Beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of the project were the populations living by the lake, i.e. about 3,000 families of fishers (about 20,000 people, 65 per cent of which are women)

Partnership

The project was executed in partnership with the Ministry of Fisheries through the Development Institute of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (DIAFA), the provincial government of Kwanza Norte and the communities of N’golomé.

Aims

The project aims to contribute to the development of the artisanal fisheries sub-sector in Angola, by strengthening local capacities in management, processing and commercialization of fish products.

In providing the technical assistance, the project achieved key milestones in building a common understanding and trust among all the players but also the self-confidence of the fishers in fostering game-changing practices, which was not initially foreseen. This was instrumental in the project’s catalytic effects to drive the process of sustainable inland fisheries development in the country.

Main results achieved

1. Capacity development of the support institutions at central and local levels (IPA, DIAFA) in the systematic and comprehensive approach to post-harvest losses reduction, and piloting a data collection and documentation system;
2. Reinforcement of the capacity of 3,000 beneficiary families, technicians of the DIAFA, and the province of Kwanza Norte in good handling and processing practices  of fish to curb post-harvest losses, particularly with the introduction of the FAO-Thiaroye fish processing technology, improved packaging and marketing of fish products and sustainable maintenance of the equipment. This direct assistance was through peer-to-peer knowledge transfer including to fishers in other provinces and participation at national fora/exhibitions, a study tour (to Senegal) and on-site training. The latter was provided through a modular approach completed within an integrated fishery platform with supplementary infrastructures following a value chain approach in lieu of the initially planned modest technology demonstration site.
3. Informed interventions, driven by the preliminary assessment of post-harvest losses, which helped deter harmful fishing practices. This is particularly evident from the study tour to Lake Victoria in Tanzania, which was facilitated by FAO and entirely funded by the Government of Angola. The study tour benefitted 6 participants - provincial fisheries officers, a traditional chief and representatives of fishers and fish processors. Likewise the support for new alternative job opportunities for the fishers, fish processors and operators and the support for local entrepreneurship were other initiatives that were promoted to reduce the pressure on the aquatic resources. Women and men have welcomed the alternative income generating activities during lean fishing season, but there is also objectively verifiable evidence of fishermen leaving fishing to dedicate themselves fully to other revenue streams

Follow up activities

After the closure of the TCP in December 2014, the Ministry of Fisheries and provincial government carried out the following activities:

• An assessment of the significant role of the integrated post-harvest platform and raising it as a National Centre of Training in Fisheries, the first of its kinds for Angola. A challenge, for which FAO support is sought, is the guidance in establishing an appropriate management mechanism, inclusive of fishers’ associations, that sustains this national reference launched in October 2015. The innovation is that it is not only a teaching institution but it also holds a productive function;

• Establishment of a partnership with a private operator for the development of aquaculture around the lake, to contribute to the generation of supplementary incomes for fishers associated with this activity;
• Commitment in initiatives to scale up the approach and outcomes of the TCP within the framework of sustainable inland fisheries development:

• the formulation of a specific project, operational since 2016, funded by the Angolan Government, and executed by FAO. The project (UTF/ANG/058/ANG “Technical assistance in responsible fisheries and products utilization in inland riparian communities”), integrates post-harvest management with statistical data systems, as well as the ecosystem approach to inland fisheries components for management plans of the target water bodies. It aims to benefit 5 provinces, with a first phase in 2 provinces (Moxico and Uige);

• The Government has negotiated two new projects following the TCP. They are funded respectively by AfDB and IFAD, both jointly fundedby the Angolan Government. These projects integrate specific components based on the results of the project. The projects are « Projecto de Apoio ao Sector das Pescas » (P-AO-AAF-002) funded by the AfDB and the Angolan Government (USD 38 million) and «Projecto de Apoio ao sector das pescas artesanal continental e aquicultura » funded by IFAD and the Angolan Government (USD 12 million). Technical assistance from FAO has been requested for the implementation of the capacity building components of the two projects.
  
  
• An all-weather road, 30 km in length between the national road Nº 230 and Saraiva (location of the centre), is set as a 2017 priority in the Programme Municipal Intégré de Développement Rural et de  lutte contre la Pauvreté (PMIDRLP) to boost the marketing of fish and other products. Other basic services for the riparian populations, such as a school, access to electricity, can be put in the perspective of the wider socio-economic development catalysed by the Ngolome project.

Agenda:

• 13.30: Introduction statement by the chair: Manuel Barange, Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division
• 13.35 : Brief statement by the representative of the Angola Embassy/Permanent Representation to UN Agencies based in Rome
• 13.40:  Presentation: TCP/3402/ANG “Support to small-scale inland fisheries: Dissemination of post-harvest techniques in the North-West of Angola”, the beginning of a new era for the sustainable utilization of inland fisheries resources
• 14.05: Questions & Contribution from the floor
• 14.25: Wrap-up & Conclusions by the FAO moderator

Responsible office:

Fisheries & Aquaculture

Languages:

English, French, Spanish

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