Fishmongers, Senegal, 2019 ©FAO/John Wessels

10 May 2022, Dakar/Rome - The GEF-funded CFI-WA project is organizing a regional exchange visit during which Senegal will host women fish processors and sellers from Cabo Verde and Côte d'Ivoire from 18-22 May.

The visit takes place within the framework of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022) and is aligned with three of the seven pillars of its Global Action Plan:

• Economic sustainability: Support inclusive value chains for small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture ;
• Social sustainability: Secure social inclusion and well-being of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture ;
• Gender equality and equity: Acknowledge that women and men in small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture are equals.

The key but underestimated role of women

Women play important roles in the post-harvest sector of artisanal fisheries in West Africa, including selling fresh fish as well as processing, storing, packaging and marketing fish products.

"They carry out all these activities in addition to household chores, in working conditions that expose them to severe health hazards and frequent workplace accidents in a sector where health standards are almost non-existent or not enforced, and without social protection systems," commented CFI West Africa Regional Coordinator Fatou Sock.

"In addition, their means of production are often rudimentary, their work is often underpaid, their contribution to the economy is underestimated and they lack financial autonomy, with very little access to financing in a sector where interest rates are sometimes excessive," she added.

Sharing to improve working conditions

The regional visit builds on a series of national exchange visits that took place in Cabo Verde, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal in January and February this year.

Their aim was for women small-scale fish processors and sellers to share their experiences and good practices in order to make their jobs safer, easier, and healthier.

An additional objective was for the women to improve their work processes, leading to quality products that can attract a broader consumer base for the economic benefit of their entire communities.

About the CFI

Empowering women in the artisanal fisheries value chain is fundamental to realising the CFI vision, which is to develop more holistic processes and integrated approaches in coastal fisheries management by sharing best practices and lessons learned at the national, regional and global levels, and to replicate and scale up these new approaches.

The CFI-WA project is implemented by FAO and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) through the Abidjan Convention, with funding from the GEF.

Contact:

Stefania Fumo | Communications specialist | FAO CFI | Email: [email protected]