On 13 July 2023, a delegation from the African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA) visited the commune of Toubacouta, on the Saloum islands, to meet women’s economic interest grouping (EIG) known as YONNE DIOFFOR. The aim of the visit was to provide support to this economic interest group to improve living and working conditions, and to promote the empowerment of women who farm oysters, smoke and sell fish products.
CAOPA delegation is led by its president, Gaoussou Gueye, and includes the administrative and financial manager, Baidy Fall, the President of the Association of Community Radio Fishing Communicators and Generalists (ACPRCG), and the program manager, Ms Thiao Khady Diop. They are accompanied by the coordinator of the Toubacouta Local Artisanal Fishing Council (LAFC), Arfan Barro.
CAOPA donation:
Thanks to financial support from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), CAOPA has been able to donate equipment to GIE YONNE DIOFFOR. The donation consists of 50 jackets with headdresses, 09 drying tables for fish products, stakes for oyster farming, 01 label cutter, 04 electronic scales, 01 date stamp, and 3,000 labels for different types of fish products. The labels are distributed as follows 1000 for mangrove oysters (Yoxoos), 750 for arches (Pañ), 500 for murex (Touffa), 500 for dried salt fish (Gedji) and 250 for volutes (Yeet). The donation also included 500 1-kg packages, 600 500-g packages and 500 1-kg Kraft paper bags.
Training in the use of equipment:
After delivering the equipment, Mr Fall led a training session for the beneficiaries on the use of packaging and labelling tools. The training included product packaging techniques, descriptions of packaging materials, the role of food packaging, interactions between packaging, food and the environment, labelling of semi-finished and finished fish products, and the storage and transport of finished fish products.
Feedback from beneficiaries
Mrs Seynabou DIATTA, President of GIE YONNE DIOFFOR, expressed her satisfaction after receiving the donation of work equipment. She said: “We are extremely grateful to CAOPA and WAEMU for this donation, which will have a significant impact on our group. In economic terms, this equipment will enable us to improve our oyster farming and fish marketing activities. This opens up new opportunities for increasing our income and developing our activities.”
Ms Gnima Diouf, Secretary General of the GIE, added: “This donation from CAOPA and WAEMU is a real blessing for us. Not only does it improve our working conditions, it also enables us to add value to our products more effectively. We are delighted to be able to offer quality products that are well packaged and labelled, thanks to the training provided in the use of packaging and labelling tools. This strengthens our confidence as women entrepreneurs in the small-scale fishing sector.”
Women from GIE YONNE DIOFFOR can now look forward to a brighter future, strengthening their economic activity, protecting the environment through sustainable practices and adding value to their products in a professional way.
CAOPA’s ongoing commitment:
It should be remembered that in 2022, CAOPA had already supported this EIG by donating around thirty lifejackets, gloves and T-shirts. These actions show CAOPA’s ongoing commitment to improving the living and working conditions of women working in the small-scale fishing sector.
The visit by CAOPA’s delegation and the donation of equipment to the EIG of Nema Bah represents an important step towards improving the living and working conditions of women involved in oyster farming, smoking and the marketing of fish products. Thanks to this support, these women will be able to strengthen their economic activities and contribute to the sustainable development of their community. CAOPA is thus showing its commitment to the small-scale fishing sector in Africa and its desire to promote the empowerment of women in this field.
Aliou Diallo, back from Toubacouta