By Modou Kanteh & Mamuna Jarjour
Russia has expressed interest to invest in fishing in the Gambian waters and investing in the aquaculture industry. This interest was made known to officials from the Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matter (MoFWR-NAMs) who attended the Global Fishery and Sea Food Expo in the city of Stpertersburge, Russia from 21-23 September 2022.
In an exclusive interview with the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Fisheries Mrs. BS Manneh, she revealed the Russian head of fisheries had reminded the Gambian officials about a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Russia had shared with the Gambia a few years ago in the area of fishing collaboration. DPS Manneh said the Gambian delegation would sit and closely look at that MoU and seek advice from the Ministry of Justice.
According to her, the Ministry and the Department would try to attract investment and improve aquaculture for sustainable fisheries. “This will create employment and increase government revenue and foreign exchange,” the DPS said.
The Ministry and the Department, the DPS said are also looking at the possibilities of encouraging Public Private Partnerships as is the case in other countries that succeeded both in catch and aquaculture fishing. She pointed out that the construction of key landing sites and the fishing jetty would be a priority to attract more and bigger fishing vessels to the Gambia.
The fisheries DPS said improving aquaculture in the Gambia should be inevitably accompanied by modern technology, heavy investment, and the required capacity. She said the solution to these challenges lies in the creation of tools and mechanisms for integrated planning of coastal and aquatic areas.
“Smart impact of aquaculture on the environment is an essential part of its sustainable development,” DPS said. She called on fish farmers to reduce water pollution which according to her is a challenge that will retard aquaculture management for the foreseeable future.
A side line meeting was also held between The Gambian delegation and OUGUM Fishing Company, an Aquaculture firm from Turkey. And the Gambian delegation shared some of the successes the country registered in the area of fishing with OUGUM Fishing Company officials.
The Turkish company officials requested the proposal detailing data and different species that can be cultured in the Gambia, the climate suitability for different species, and the suitability of an aquaculture firm in the Gambia.
