The following recommendations should be considered for the development of bonga utilization in West Africa:
The gradual increase in the consumption of fresh bonga in urban centres means that bonga should now be included in the list of species considered in the justification for providing ice and cold-room facilities in West African countries.
Cheap local salt production should be incorporated into artisanal fisheries development plans and projects. This will eventually avail the salted and dried bonga processors, and salted and dried fish processors with cheap and good quality, locally produced salt.
The direct community beneficiaries should always be consulted on improvements in processing technology to achieve a technically and financially manageable technology.
Local materials should be utilized as much as possible in the design and construction of suitable ovens for bonga smoking. The cheaper mud blocks or compacted clay soil should be used in building the walls of the modified Chorkor instead of the cement and/or red burnt bricks.
In adequately addressing the ubiquitous complaint of bonga processors on the handling of large quantities of fresh bonga for smoking, the modified Chorkor oven should be adopted in national extension and training programmes as the most suitable technology. It will reduce the pressure on the mangrove resource, be efficient enough, and accommodate large quantities of fresh bonga.
Fuelwood alternatives to the red mangrove, the destruction of which destroys important fish nursery grounds and enhances erosion in some areas, should be urgently reviewed in collaboration with the respective national forestry institutions. The processors should be involved in the trial of the alternatives for a faster acceptability.
For promotion purposes, information on the modified Chorkor oven technology can be disseminated through these support services:
designing, printing, and distribution of technical pamphlets for extension agents;
national and/or regional seminars/workshops for fish processing agents and processors;
at least one demonstration unit in a major centre (selected in consultation with national authorities and, if possible, user representatives) in each of the countries involved in bonga smoking;
the short-term or long-term services of a fish processing technologist who can visit the countries concerned, hold seminars, workshops, and meetings with authorities and processors on the improvement of traditional processing methods.
The potential for smoked bonga trade in the sub-region is great. However, the three major constraints of transport, credit, and customs duties should be quickly addressed for the long-term viability of the trade. Consultation with ECOWAS authorities on the protocol for the movement of goods produced in the region would be useful in alleviating the problems encountered by inter-state traders.
