The African Confederation of Professional Organizations of Artisanal Fisheries (CAOPA) organized on November 10 and 11, 2022, at the Forestry Recycling Centre of Thiès, an information and awareness-raising workshop on the Call to Action of small-scale fisheries and a practical training on radio animation techniques for the benefit of the Association of Fishing Communicators of Community Radio and Generalists (ACPRCG) of Senegal.
CAOPA, in organizing this workshop with the support of OAK foundation, is acting in the framework of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture (IYAFA 2022).
As such, CAOPA believes that it is essential to involve communication actors to enable them to know the content of the Call to Action in order to carry out an effective advocacy for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.b.
The objective is to disseminate the content of the Call to Action and share it with ACPRCG community radio presenters and journalists;
At the opening ceremony, the President of the ACPRCG said that their presence in Thiès was a sign of support for the Call to Action for small-scale fisheries, through which actors are asking governments to ensure that the dialogue on the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries continues.
To this end, Omar Diaw believes that ACPRCG has a role to play in order to achieve the objectives of this call through good communication management and responsible handling of information related to fisheries and aquaculture.
The President of CAOPA stressed that “small-scale fishing constitutes a safety net and social stability everywhere in Africa “.
He recalled that it is within the framework of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture that the men and women of the sector have launched a call to action, at the initiative of CAOPA, which is based on five points. To better understand these issues, says Mr. GUEYE, CAOPA, in collaboration with the ACRPCG and with the support of the OAK Foundation, organized the above mentioned workshop for ACRPCG. Thus, he urged all the attention required so that the results of this workshop can be used appropriately.
On behalf of the Director of Maritime Fisheries, Mr Ibrahima LO informed that the fishing sector in recent years has been hit “hard by a crisis characterized by a scarcity of the main coastal demersal and even coastal pelagic fish resources”. According to him, the State, aware of this situation, has committed itself to the promotion of co-management and has developed and implemented policies at the heart of which is the management of fisheries.
The activity took place through presentations, followed by exchanges, group work and the production of radio programs on three themes: Protecting small-scale fisheries from other sectors of the blue economy; Promoting the place of women in African small-scale fisheries; and promoting secure access to resources in African small-scale fisheries.
Aliou DIALLO