In Senegal, transparency in fisheries is key to effective governance and informed participation of small-scale fisheries in co-management, a path that Senegal has been committed to since 2015. The highest international standards of transparency in fisheries are those of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, the FiTI.
Senegal initiated the process of joining FiTI with a public commitment from H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal at the time, in February 2016, during the 1st International Conference of the FiTI in Nouakchott, Mauritania. The implementation of FiTI was one of the twelve national commitments included in the first National Action Plan of the Partnership for Open Government (PGO) for Senegal 2021-2023, under the leadership of the Ministry of Justice. Unfortunately, to date, these commitments have remained unfulfilled.
This is why FiTI, through its International Council, where African small-scale fishermen are represented by the CAOPA, has warned Senegal: “Failure to meet any of these deadlines will result in the immediate withdrawal of Senegal from the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, in accordance with section E.1.3 of the FiTI Standard,” the statement reads.
For the Senegalese small-scale fisheries sector, it is important that Senegal seizes the opportunity and urgently takes the necessary measures to implement FiTI, notably by adopting a decree designating the FiTI supervisory ministry and the person responsible within the government, and by establishing a national Multi-Stakeholder Group, composed of representatives of the Senegalese government, industrial and small-scale fisheries, and civil society organizations.