West African Fisheries Development Project

West African Fisheries Development Project
Name	West African Fisheries Development Project
Region	West Africa
Start	1970s
Funders	World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization
Partners	United Nations Development Programme, African Development Bank Group
Sectors	Fisheries, Agriculture
Status	Completed

West African Fisheries Development Project The West African Fisheries Development Project was a multilateral initiative in West Africa during the late 20th century designed to modernize artisanal and industrial fisheries sectors across several coastal states. It combined capital investment, technical assistance, and institutional reform to increase fishery yields, stimulate trade in marine products, and integrate regional markets. The project involved prominent development agencies and national agencies to address overcapacity, post-harvest losses, and market access.

Background and Objectives

The project emerged amid rising demand for marine protein in Europe, Japan, and domestic markets of Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire following studies by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. Key objectives included expanding fleet capacity for tuna and demersal species, improving cold chain infrastructure in ports such as Dakar, enhancing coastal processing capacity in cities like Abidjan, and strengthening national agencies such as Fisheries Department (Ghana), Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Halieutiques, and counterparts in Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. Funders and technical partners included the World Bank, the African Development Bank Group, and bilateral donors linked to Ministry of Overseas Development (United Kingdom) and Agence Française de Développement.

Project Implementation and Partners

Implementation was coordinated by a consortium comprising the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and United Nations Development Programme with executing agencies from national administrations including Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (Sierra Leone), Ghana Fisheries Commission, and Ministère de la Pêche (Senegal). Technical support came from research institutions such as the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Pew Charitable Trusts-funded studies, and regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States. Private partners included shipbuilders from Spain, Japan, and South Korea, and processing firms based in Marseille and Bilbao. The project also linked to training institutions such as the University of Cape Coast, Cheikh Anta Diop University, and vocational centers supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Technical Components and Activities

Major components encompassed fleet renewal programs—purchasing trawlers and purse seiners from Japan and Spain—and establishment of onshore facilities including cold stores in Dakar, canneries in Conakry, and ice plants in Takoradi. Scientific activities involved stock assessment cruises with vessels linked to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and research by the Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer and Centre de Recherches Océanographiques de Dakar-Thiaroye. Capacity building comprised training courses at FAO regional centers, scholarships to University of Lagos and Université Cheikh Anta Diop, and workshops organized with the Commonwealth Secretariat. Market development actions included sanitary standard upgrades aligning with Codex Alimentarius guidelines and export facilitation to European Economic Community markets. Monitoring used methodologies from ICES and data-sharing protocols influenced by Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals practices.

Environmental and Social Impact

Environmental assessments highlighted pressures on stocks like Atlantic cod analogues, Sardinella, and bigeye tuna due to expanded capacity and foreign fleets licensed by national authorities. Conservation organizations including WWF and Greenpeace raised concerns about bycatch impacts on sea turtles and sharks and habitat effects on mangroves used by artisanal fishers in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Social impacts involved displacement of artisanal fishers in ports such as Abidjan and Banjul and shifts in labor from traditional landing sites to industrial processing plants managed by firms tied to Société Nationale d'Investissement (Senegal). Mitigation measures drew on frameworks from the World Conservation Union and social safeguards promoted by the World Bank and the African Development Bank to support co-management schemes and alternative livelihoods connected to aquaculture pilots.

Outcomes and Evaluation

Evaluations by the World Bank and independent reviewers recorded mixed outcomes: increased export volumes to Spain and France and upgraded port infrastructure in Dakar and Abidjan, but persistent overcapacity and limited spillover benefits for small-scale fishers in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Scientific monitoring showed variable stock recovery trends similar to regional assessments by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission and research published in journals associated with Elsevier and Springer. Post-project audits recommended stronger regional governance through entities like the Economic Community of West African States and enforcement mechanisms akin to those in the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.

Legacy and Policy Influence

The initiative influenced subsequent policy frameworks, contributing to national reforms inspired by models from Norway and Iceland and to regional instruments advanced by ECOWAS and the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission. Lessons fed into later programs funded by the European Union and the Global Environment Facility and informed academic work at IFREMER and CIRAD. Its legacy persists in modern coastal management dialogues involving UNCLOS-related access agreements, artisanal co-management promoted by FAO, and contemporary debates over distant-water fleets exemplified by bilateral accords with China and Russia.

Category:Fisheries Category:Development projects in Africa Category:20th-century projects