The Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries Water Resources and National Assembly Matters with stakeholders recently conducts two days interagency `workshop for national administrators in The Gambia at Senegambia hotel.
The objective of the workshop according to Omar SM Gibba Permanent Secretary Ministry of Fisheries Water Resources and National Assembly Matters(MoFWR-NAMs) is to streamline administrators competence through memorandum of understanding(MoUs) on inter agency cooperation; He said the workshop is for national administrators in The Gambia on monitoring, control and surveillance(MCS) Cooperation; in order to take the responsibility of enforcing fisheries act and fisheries regulations under the Department of Fisheries through the Ministry of Fisheries Water Resource and National assembly matters.
The Permanent Secretary said the inter-agency collaboration is recognized as a key driving force towards development; and this workshop is very appropriate to strengthen the fruitful collaboration among key stakeholders. He said that gives room for institutions to archive vision and development goals and to call for effective information sharing; which P S Gibba said allows for efficiency for appropriate action.
“Institutions cannot work single handedly we need each other for effective and efficient service delivery,” PS Gibba said.
Momodou Sidibeh Deputy Director Department of Fisheries said the Ministry of Fisheries is determined to ensure that the national marine resources are utilized sustainably to generate employment opportunities provide income and contribute to poverty alleviation. He pointed out that fishing is an important economic activity that provides food and livelihood to thousands of Gambians directly and indirectly.
According to Sidibeh, the partnership and the coordination action is to reduce negative externalities and maximize sustainable and exclusive growth for the population of West Africa. He said the support clearly reflect strong hope that European Fisheries Control Agency(EFCA) will continue to add value to improve capacity of MCS Institutions to fight against illegal unreported fishing.
The Permanent Secretary Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission Dr.Malal Sane on his speech said during these two days experts from EFCA and the national MCS unit will take stock on legal, institutional and operational frame work in the fight against IUU fishing in the Gambia. He said since IUU fishing has become a question of the survival in the sub-region in which new challenges such as climate change becomes challenges for the fisheries sector. The event is being funded by European Union.