The forum is designed to provide information and increase awareness about the FISH4ACP project in the Gambia and help develop the programme's understanding of the value chain. It also seeks to ensure the commitment of the actors and stakeholders of the oyster value chain in the Gambia in a participatory and inclusive way.
The FISH4ACP project is a 5-year programme led by the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) that aims to tackle some of the underlying challenges to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. These include low economic performance, limited market access and poor social and environmental sustainability.
The programme is being implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and covers 11 other African countries.
The project focuses on enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture value chains, while ensuring that economic improvements go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and social inclusiveness
Speaking at the forum, James Gomez, minister of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters underscored the importance of the forum, saying fisheries is an important sector that plays a significant role in income generation.
The FAO representative to the Gambia, Moshibudi Rampedi reiterated that the fisheries sector has the capacity to create employment, boost income generation and, most importantly, freeing the world from hunger, which is the main goal of FAO.
