FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture - Regional fishery bodies (RFB)

Regional Fishery Bodies Summary Descriptions

Committee on Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Africa (CIFAA)

Mission
Area of competence
Species and stocks coverage
Languages
Organizations involved
Structure
Legal framework
Activities and meetings
Publications
Contacts

MissionObjectiveThe main objective of the Committee for Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Africa (CIFAA) is to promote the development of inland fisheries and aquaculture in Africa.FunctionsThe terms of reference of the Committee are:

to promote, coordinate and assist national and regional fishery and limnological surveys and programmes of research and development leading to the rational utilization of inland fishery resources;
to assist Member Governments in establishing the scientific basis for regulatory and other measures for the conservation and improvement of inland fishery resources, to formulate such measures through subsidiary bodies as required, and to make appropriate recommendations for the adoption and implementation of these measures;
to promote and coordinate efforts on a national and regional basis to prevent damage to the aquatic environment, including the prevention and control of water pollution;
to assist in the development of fish culture and stock improvement, including the control of fish diseases and the importation of exotic species;
to promote and assist in the utilization of the most effective fishing craft, gear and techniques;
to promote and assist activities concerned with the processing, preservation and marketing of fish and fish products;
to encourage education and training through the establishment or improvement of national and regional institutions and by the promotion and the organization of symposia, seminars, study tours and training centres;
to assist in the collection, interchange, dissemination and analysis of statistical, biological and environmental data and other inland fishery information;
to assist Member Governments in formulating national and regional programmes to be implemented through sources of international aid to help achieve the objectives referred to in the preceding paragraphs.

Area of competenceInland waters of member countries.

CIFAA area of competence - Inland waters

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The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) are for illustration only and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.

Species and stocks coverageAll species in inland waters of member countries. LanguagesEnglish, French. Organizations involvedMembership is open to all African member nations and Associate Members of the FAO selected by the Director General of the Organization on their basis of their active interest in inland fishery development in Africa and of their potential contribution to the effective discharge of the functions of the Committee.

Current membership: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan (former), Swaziland, United Rep. of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

StructurePrincipal bodyThe governing body of CIFAA is the Committee. It normally holds its sessions at intervals of two years. Decisions of the Committee are taken by a majority of votes cast, unless otherwise decided.Subsidiary BodiesThe Committee may establish subsidiary bodies as may be required for the effective discharge of its functions and subject to available funds. There is currently one such body:

The Sub-Committee for Lake Tanganyika consisting of Member Nations of CIFAA surrounding Lake Tanganyika (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, and Zambia). The Sub-Committee held its first meeting in Lusaka in March 1978.

Working GroupsAt its Fourteenth Session held Accra, Ghana, 22-24 Novembre 2006, the Committee unanimously endorsed the establishment of the Ad Hoc Working Group on an African Aquaculture Network to provide much needed skills, technology and information for future development of aquaculture in the Region.SecretariatThe Secretariat is provided by the FAO Regional Office for Africa. It is based in, Accra, Ghana.

CIFAA is a member of the Regional Fishery Body Secretariats Network that meets biennially. Legal frameworkThe Committee for Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture of Africa (CIFAA) was established by the FAO Council in 1971 under Article VI-2 of the FAO Constitution. Statutes were amended in 1973 and 1975.

The Rules of procedures were adopted at the First Session of the Committee in Fort-Lamy, Chad, in 1972 and further amended at its Third and the Fifth Session in 1977 and 1983.
ftp://ftp.fao.org/FI/DOCUMENT/cifa/cifa_statutes.pdf Activities and meetingsThe priorities identified for the current biennium are:

Support to the Lake Tanganyika Authority [LTA].
With regard to inland fisheries: co-management, stock assessment, fishery management, defining and combating Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, water use, maintenance of ecosystems, promotion of trade, control of transboundary pathogens and fish health, and the use of alien species.
Regarding aquaculture: support to the expansion of the aquaculture [sub] sector in the region, the establishment of an African regional aquaculture network [the ANAF: the Aquaculture Network of Africa], increased involvement of the private sector to promote aquaculture enterprises in the region.

Sessions