Honourable Minister, Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates and Observers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure to welcome you all, on behalf of Dr Jacques Diouf, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Mr Ichiro Nomura, the Assistant Director-General of the FAO Fisheries Department, and Mr Bamidele Dada, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa to this Technical Consultation on Legal Frameworks and Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Commercial Aquaculture in Africa South of the Sahara, and to extend to you their best wishes for a successful and fruitful meeting.
Mr Chairman, let me also express, on behalf of FAO and all delegates, our sincere thanks to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania for the kind invitation to hold this Consultation in this booming and growing city of Arusha.
Honourable Minister, I wish to record our deep appreciation for the warm hospitality accorded to us since our arrival in your country and for the excellent facilities provided for the meeting.
Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, the importance of aquaculture in food security and poverty alleviation, especially for impoverished communities in rural areas is self-evident. Fish is commonly accepted as a protein-rich food commodity, and aquaculture generates millions of fish annually around the world. According to FAO statistics, about 43 millions metric tons of fish and other living aquatic organisms were produced from aquaculture in 1999 world-wide. It is our duty to ensure that living resources continue to efficiently serve the present needs of communities in terms of improving their livelihoods and economic development status without hurting future generations.
Mr Chairman, on more than one occasion, aquaculture was highlighted by policy makers and economic development agents as an important sector in economic development of the continent. One can only recall a few of these occasions. About two decades ago, the Fourth Session of the Committee for Inland Fisheries of Africa, CIFA, which was held in Blantyre, Malawi, emphasized “the need to optimize benefits from aquaculture, ..., including both artisanal and commercial fish culture”. A decade later, in 1999, the Africa Regional Aquaculture Review in Accra, Ghana recommended that commercial aquaculture be developed to complement small-scale subsistence aquaculture. At its Eleventh Session in Abuja, Nigeria, CIFA while recognizing that aquaculture development has been slow in sub-Saharan Africa, emphasized the need to promote commercial aquaculture in the region. Specifically, the Committee suggested that efforts be made to attract foreign investments in the sector and that studies on the economic feasibility of commercial aquaculture should be undertaken. Recently, recognizing the importance of aquaculture in the Twenty-fourth Session of the Committee on Fisheries which was held in Rome in February 2001, after agreeing to establish a Sub-Committee on Aquaculture, “urged FAO, in the course of promoting aquaculture, not to overlook those countries that historically did not practice aquaculture but which had suitable conditions for its development”. Most countries in Africa south of the Sahara are among these.
In keeping with these recommendations and guidance, FAO has organized this Technical Consultation on the Promotion of Sustainable Commercial Aquaculture in Africa south of the Sahara. In the course of this event, you will have the opportunity to share FAO’s preliminary findings on the status and potential of commercial aquaculture and the markets and trade of commercially farmed fish and shrimp in sub-Saharan Africa. You will also have the opportunity to discuss policies for the promotion of the sector, examine strategies to major constraints to sustainable commercial aquaculture development as well as a suggested Legal, Regulatory and Institutional Framework for the promotion of sustainable aquaculture in the region.
Mr Chairman, you will note from the Agenda that the Consultation includes a Seminar on Investment in Aquaculture. This Seminar aims to sharing experiences of African and other developing countries in investment in aquaculture. The lack of capital investment is one of the major stumbling blocks for aquaculture development in Africa south of the Sahara. In this Seminar, you will have the opportunity to learn the strategies that some developing countries have used to overcome this impediment to aquaculture development in many parts of the world, especially in Africa.
Honourable Minister, Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, the next four days will be very, very busy, sometimes taxing your diligence and resolve. But, it is my firm belief and sincere wish that you will actively participate in the discussions and exchange of experiences and that on Friday afternoon you will be united in the approval of the report of the Consultation.
This report will summarize discussions of the meeting and contain conclusions and recommendations on how to proceed with the promotion of commercial aquaculture in Africa south of the Sahara. Specifically, you are expected, on behalf of your respective governments, to provide guidance on whether sustainable commercial aquaculture should be promoted in sub-Saharan Africa; identify concrete actions that need to be taken to develop commercial aquaculture sustainably in the Region, and suggest FAO’s role within this context of actions identified.
Honourable Minister, Mr Chairman, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, a report endorsed by you will be a strong signal to policy makers, development agencies and the world aquaculture community. FAO will pay particular interest to the outcome of your discussions. Your conclusions and recommendations will be submitted to the FAO COFI Sub-Committee on Aquaculture which will be meeting in April next year in Beijing.
I wish you a successful meeting. Thank you very much for your attention.
