Addis ababa: A High-Level Consultation and Validation Workshop aimed at strengthening fisheries governance and establishing a Fisheries Forum Agency and a Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) Coordination Centre under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) opened in Addis Ababa today. Opening the three-day event, Agriculture State Minister Fikru Regassa highlighted Ethiopia’s fisheries potential, despite its landlocked status, emphasizing opportunities in aquaculture and freshwater resources from Transboundary Rivers and various lake systems.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, State Minister Fikru Regassa discussed Ethiopia’s 10-year master plan for fisheries and aquaculture. The plan, along with the Yelemat Turufat initiative, has significantly increased fish production and introduced innovative technologies like mono-sex male tilapia fry production. He noted the potential of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for fisheries and aquaculture, along with broader water harvesting p
rograms.
The State Minister emphasized the establishment of the IGAD Fisheries Coordination Center as a strategic approach to addressing issues such as overfishing, fragmented governance, climate change impacts, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. He reaffirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to the IGAD Blue Economy Agenda and the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2021-2025, aiming to ensure sustainable benefits for current and future generations.
IGAD Agriculture and Environment Division Director Daher Elmi pointed out the region’s underutilized fisheries potential, currently producing about 1 million tonnes of fish annually from an estimated potential of 3.5 million tonnes. He highlighted the untapped marine resources in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Western Indian Ocean, which are crucial for trade and food security.
Director Daher Elmi identified challenges such as weak governance, inadequate infrastructure, and rampant IUU fishing, especially in Somalia’s waters. He stressed the need for coll
ective action and learning from successful regional mechanisms like the SADC MCS Coordination Centre in Mozambique to protect resources and enhance regional trade.
The workshop focuses on building consensus on institutional design, governance arrangements, and financing models for the IGAD Fisheries Forum Agency and the MCS Coordination Centre. It adopts a ‘common but differentiated’ approach to address both inland and marine fisheries challenges.
Expected outcomes include a comprehensive operational roadmap, resource mobilization strategies, and enhanced regional cooperation, drawing insights from other African and Indian Ocean regional bodies. Participants comprise senior technical officials from IGAD Member States, regional economic communities, African Union institutions, development partners, the private sector, and civil society.
By the end of the workshop, organizers aim to establish a clear, actionable plan to transform the region’s fisheries sector into a vital driver of food security, employment
creation, and regional integration, aligning with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the IGAD Vision 2050.