Stakeholders' Consultative and Validation Workshop on the Alignment of Fisheries and Aquaculture Strategies and Agricultural Investment Plans with the PFRS and Climate-Change Adaptation, Including the Formulation of Recommendations for the Domestication

The fisheries resources of Africa provide essential benefits to over 10 million people, most of whom are rural poor. These benefits include food security, improved nutrition, and enhanced livelihoods. However, they are currently under severe threat due to weak and uncoordinated institutions, as well as ineffective fisheries governance and policies. Poor governance has led to the over-exploitation of commercially important fish stocks, limiting resource sustainability and reducing the sector’s contribution to food security, poverty alleviation, and wealth creation.

Recognizing the urgent need for reform, various high-level political declarations within the African Union (AU) have underscored commitments to restoring fisheries to their maximum sustainable yields. These include commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2015, the Abuja Declarations of African Heads of Government at the Fish for All Summit, and resolutions from the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA). These continental initiatives have led to the development of the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS) and the establishment of the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM) as its delivery mechanism.

To support the implementation of the PFRS, the African Union-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), through a series of interactive consultations, developed ‘A Guide for the Implementation of the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa’. This guide was formulated through a consultative and participatory process involving key stakeholders, including AU Member States (AU MS), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), specialized regional fisheries and aquaculture institutions, non-state actors (NSAs), AFRM members, development partners, and independent experts. It serves as a complementary document to the PFRS, providing practical guidance for its implementation.

With support from the European Union, AU-IBAR is currently implementing Fisheries Governance Phase 2 (FishGov2) under the program "Enhancing Sustainable Fisheries Management and Aquaculture Development in Africa: A Program for Accelerated Reform of the Sector." The initiative aims to align activities with the objectives and principles outlined in key AU declarations, recommendations, and resolutions, including those of the AFRM and PFRS. A key outcome of the project is to ensure coherent implementation of the PFRS at continental, regional, and national levels.

One of the primary activities to achieve this goal is the promotion of coherence and harmonization in fisheries policies and regulatory frameworks, including the domestication of the PFRS. To support this, AU-IBAR has engaged relevant national consultants to review and align national fisheries policies, legislative frameworks, and strategies with the PFRS and international best practices. This effort aims to update national policies in AU Member States to ensure alignment with the continental framework and promote sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture development across Africa.