Africa’s Blue Economy holds tremendous potential for driving sustainable economic growth and social development on the continent. However, realizing this potential requires effective management of the inland and marine fisheries resources that underpin the Blue Economy. To this end, the EU-funded ECOFISH programme, the AU-IBAR FISHGOV2 project and Aquatic Resources Conservation project, as well as the IGAD Blue Economy project are partnering to organize a continent-wide interdisciplinary and multistakeholder workshop aimed at accelerating sharing experiences and knowledge.

The workshop will bring together beneficiaries, experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Africa to share knowledge, lessons learned, best practices, and new insights on sustainable fisheries management. The goal is to generate policy recommendations that will help accelerate progress towards Africa’s socio-economic and ecological aspirations outlined in the Africa Agenda 2063. Specifically, the initiative aims to promote an inclusive and sustainable industrialization of the small-scale fisheries sector that contributes to poverty reduction, food security, peace, prosperity, and security in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequalities.

The ECOFISH programme will showcase its nine demonstration projects that have received grants to mainstream the principles of sustainable and integrated management of small-scale fisheries in local communities. These projects serve as a social laboratory for working and learning among peers and will be presented at the continental level. Meanwhile, the AU-IBAR will share its knowledge and experience in the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, while IGAD will share its experience in implementing its Blue Economy project, which is financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.