By John Oba
Abuja
The federal government has thrown its weight behind the fight against Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU ) fishing in the West and Central Africa sub-regional.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Bukar Ibrahim gave the support to the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), at the 10th Annual Ministerial Conference on (FCWC) held in Abuja.
The FCWC committee includes representatives from Nigeria, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic.
Describing the conference as timely, the PS said it came at a time when the current administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to reviving the agriculture sector.
Ibrahim said: “Today’s annual conference is unique because the organisation is celebrating its 10th anniversary of existence.
“The organisation’s excellent performance in fisheries management, promotion of fish trade, the fight against Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing and regional cooperation among the member countries cannot be overemphasised.
“The conference could not have come at a more auspicious time than now that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has redirected the focus of the Nigerian economy towards agriculture.
Ibrahim, who was represented by the ministry’s Director of Rural Development, Mr. Azeez Muyiwa, said the partnership remains vital to help member countries achieve the regional objective.
“Efforts at harnessing the huge potential of fisheries and aquaculture will no doubt give an added impetus to the realisation of our shared objectives in wealth creation, food and nutritional sector in the Gulf of Guinea,’’ he added.
However, the PS urged participants to develop implementable document that could be used to implement fishery development programmes for the
benefit of the sub-region.
In his remarks, the Secretary General of FCWC, Mr. Seraphin Dedi, said that if the public and private sectors and all partners in the fishery sector invested appreciable resources in fishery development projects, the sector would record significant improvement.
“If we are able to invest enough resources in the fishery sector, we may improve the contribution of fisheries to the food security, nutrition and the development of the sub-region.
“The fishery sector is one sector that is helping a lot in terms redistributing the value addition of the sector to the population. So, if we invest in fisheries, you are sure that it will affect the people of the region.
“If we look at the value chain of the fishery sector, we will discover that different people are involved in the system; by investing in the sector, you can touch all these people and facilitate the development of the region,’’ he noted.
