© FAO
The funding, which was recently approved by the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank, will help to support the fisheries and aquaculture sector of Côte d'Ivoire as it develops, contributing to the country's blue economy.
“The Bank's involvement in this project will facilitate the establishment of aquaculture and fisheries-related infrastructure, improve skills within the fisheries sector, contribute to improved governance of sea, lagoon and inland fisheries, and promote the development of commercial aquaculture through training and the implementation of a reliable system for the production of high-quality fry and feed,” said Joseph Ribeiro, the African Development Bank's deputy director general for West Africa, in a press release.
Part of the funding will be used to support the implementation of the Project to Develop Competitive Aquaculture and Fisheries Value Chains, which encompasses the provision of post-secondary education, incubator programmes, and assistance for startups. The programme will also support both public and private fish farms in the West and South of the country, with the aim of developing a best-practices procedures manual and the infrastructure for seed certification.
The implementation of the project will begin in 2025 and is expected to be complete by 2029. In total, it is estimated that the work of the programme to develop the fisheries and aquaculture sectors of Côte d'Ivoire will positively impact at least 700,000 people.
