Oysters are an important source of nutritious food for people in Senegal. However, demand for oysters on the domestic market exceeds supply – a gap that is filled with imports from neighbouring countries.   

Women from the southern provinces of Casamance and Siné-Saloum carry out most of the work in the oyster sector. Oysters are key to their livelihoods, but revenues are hardly enough to feed their families.     

FISH4ACP works to make Senegal’s oyster value chain more productive and sustainable with a view to transforming it in a catalyst for economic and social development, based on sustainable and equitable oyster exploitation that contributes to the empowerment of women. 

FISH4ACP is supporting an ambitious agenda to improve local production, provide better jobs and ease the burden on the environment. Much of this growth will come from oyster farming, in part because of environmental advantages that enable better protection of mangroves and more responsible management of stocks.  

Growth will also lead to better jobs. Higher value products with longer shelf-life are expected to raise benefits and lead to increased revenues for Senegal’s female oyster producers.