The importance of aquaculture in improving the diet of the people, generating employment in rural areas and saving foreign exchange through import substitution, has generally been recognized in most countries of Africa in recent years. Many governments have accorded high priority to this sector and initiated development activities Experimental and limited pilot-scale operations have demonstrated that small- or large-scale fish farming using indigenous species and feed material can be highly productive and profitable. However, failures of some of the ill-conceived programmes during the early part of the century have continued to remain a major constraint in convincing the farmers and investors of the economic viability of aqua-culture, Insufficient appreciation of the basic requirements of an effective aquaculture development programme and consequent inadequacy of governmental support activities, have handicapped the orderly and rapid development of the industry.
Recognizing the immediate need for appropriately planned production programmes, the FAO/UNDP Aquaculture Development and Coordination Programme (ADCP) organized the First Regional Workshop on Aquaculture Planning in Accra, Ghana, 2-17 July 1975 in cooperation with the FAO Regional Office for Africa in Accra and the Government of Ghana.
The objectives of the Workshop were to:
(a) discuss the basic data required for the formulation of sound aquaculture development plans;(b) consider the levels of aquaculture development suited to different socio-economic and ecological situations;
(c) evaluate organizational, financial and technological requirements for the implementation of development programmes, with special reference to the production and distribution of inputs, training of manpower and building of extension services;
(d) consider ways and means of overcoming legal and environmental constraints on aqua-culture development;
(e) formulate and discuss phased outline development plans for each of the participating countries; and
(f) identify external assistance required for the implementation of aquaculture development in each of the participating countries and discuss the national, regional and inter-regional elements of the required assistance.
The Workshop was held at the British Council Hall, Accra and was attended by senior officials from nine selected countries (see Annex I), The Agenda followed is given in Annex II,
Mr. Yohannes Habtu, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa in Accra, in his opening remarks, emphasized the importance of planning based on clear concepts of goals, requirements and procedures, for the orderly development of aquaculture so greatly needed in the African continent to meet the increasing demand for fish of the expanding populations, particularly in the interior regions. While Africa has probably the maximum total area available for aquaculture and relatively high potential for development, its contribution to the world aquaculture production remains small indeed. He expressed the hope that, through appropriately planned production programmes, utilizing all the internal and external sources of support, the countries in the region will be able to make substantial progress in establishing aquaculture as a viable food production industry.
The first stage of the Workshop, attended by all the participants, discussed the following aspects in order to formulate national objectives, policies and strategies for aquaculture development in the participating countries:
(i) Basic data required for aquaculture planning(ii) Levels and patterns of aquaculture development
(iii) Role of public and private sectors in aquaculture
(iv) Organization of aquaculture services for small- and industrial-scale development of aquaculture
(v) Research support and extension services for aquaculture development
(vi) Manpower requirements and training of personnel
(vii) Market surveys for aquaculture planning
(viii) Handling and marketing of aquaculture products
(ix) Development of auxiliary or supporting industries
(x) Financing and credit for aquaculture development
(xi) Legal and environmental aspects of aquaculture development
(xii) Incentives for aquaculture development
(xiii) Bilateral and multilateral assistance for aquaculture development
(xiv) Regional and inter-regional cooperation in aquaculture.
The second stage of the Workshop, attended by the senior aquaculturists of the participating countries, prepared draft outline plans for aquaculture development in their respective countries (Annex III) and identified the external assistance required for the implementation of the plans. The national plans are directed to increasing annual fish production through fish culture from the present total of about 30 000 tons in the nine participating countries to about 514 500 tons in a period of ten years as follows:
|
Country |
Tons |
|
Central African Republic |
8 000 |
|
Egypt |
90 000 |
|
Ghana |
65 000 |
|
Ivory Coast |
16 500 |
|
Kenya |
7 000 |
|
Madagascar |
82 500 |
|
Nigeria |
105 500 |
|
Sudan |
60 000 |
|
Tanzania |
80 000 |
|
Total |
514 500 |
