The minister made this statement while giving an opening discourse on oyster value chain during an inception seminar held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
In his discourse, the minister revealed that the fisheries has enormous potential and plays a significant role in the socioeconomic development of The Gambia, furthering that the sector is recognised as a powerful income and employment generation one as it stimulates growth of several subsidiary industries. It is a source of protein, improves nutritional status of the people, reduces poverty, reduces rural-urban migration and enhances revenue and foreign exchange earnings for the trade of fisheries and fisheries products.
"The fisheries sector contributes about 12% of GDP, and presently, research has shown the sector provides directly or indirectly employment for more than 300, 000 people in the area of captured and cultural fisheries," he revealed.
"The ministry has managed to successfully put in place all the required tools to provide for the appropriate fisheries and aquaculture development management and regulation policy."
"Having developed a fisheries policy, a fisheries and aquaculture strategy and action-plan, a fisheries act and fisheries regulation, even though these tools have expired but currently under review, had provided an enabling environment to properly guide, direct and administer, manage and regulate fisheries, aquaculture and related aquatic resources," he said.
