Guinea’s fisheries actors all behind the FiTI
CONAKRY – 15-16 December 2016. After the President of Guinea H.E. Prof. Alpha Condé demonstrated his intention to implement the FiTI in his country, the International FiTI Secretariat conducted its 1st country visit in the Guinean capital to officially launch the initiative’s process in Guinea.
During the visit, which was orchestrated by the Fisheries Minister H.E. André Loua and his Ministry, the International FiTI Secretariat had the honour to be received by the President H.E. Prof. Alpha Condé, who confirmed his willingness to make Guinea one of the first five countries to implement the FiTI. The Prime Minister H.E. Mamady Youla, too, granted audience to the International FiTI Secretariat, emphasizing the importance of the fisheries sector for the country.
This commitment to enhance transparency and participation in fisheries at the highest level mirrors the enthusiasm of the different groups of stakeholders met during the visit. At the occasion of an awareness-raising workshop on fisheries transparency organized by the Regional Partnership for Coastal and Marine Conservation in Western Africa (PRCM), approximately 70 representatives of the government, the fisheries industry and the civil society gathered to discuss the importance of transparency for good governance in the fisheries sector; inform themselves about the FiTI; and determine concrete next steps to form the national FiTI Multi-Stakeholder Group in Guinea.
“There is no transparency without communication, without the participation of non-state actors”, H.E. André Loua said as he opened the workshop.
With the objective to sensitize as many stakeholders as possible about the FiTI during the 2-day visit, the International FiTI Secretariat also met with representatives of industrial fishing companies, artisanal fishers, women working in the post-harvest sector as well as some representatives of donor countries. “Responsible fisheries is our motto. We want to maximize our profit whilst guaranteeing the sustainability of marine resources”, said Ahmed Oubeid Mohamed Lemine, Director General of the Fisheries Company CIPECO, whilst affirming his willingness to support the implementation of the FiTI in Guinea.
Following this first visit, the Guinean Government committed itself to accelerating the process in order to complete the sign-up steps necessary to become a FiTI candidate. The objective: equal the progress achieved by the other pilot countries and lay solid foundations for FiTI implementation in Guinea by the 2nd International Conference of the FiTI on April 27th 2017 in Bali.
