Abidjan Legacy Program (ALP) and the Strategic Program for the Transformation of Aquaculture in Côte d’Ivoire (PSTACI) Commit to Reducing Fisheries Product Imports in Côte d’Ivoire
On Monday, December 23, 2024, in Abidjan, ALP and PSTACI signed a cooperation agreement aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on imported fisheries products. The objective is to decrease imports by training and placing young people and women in professions related to fish farming.
17 Young People Trained in Fish Farming
The collaboration between ALP and PSTACI began in June 2024 with the selection, training, and placement of 17 young individuals from the Poro region, with an average age of 25, who were organized into a cooperative after their fish farming training.
These 17 young men and women are from the first cohort trained at the Koubi Fishery School in the Tiébissou department. They are pioneers of this program, which incorporates environmental preservation and the development of new technologies in the fish farming sector.
Reducing Fish Imports
According to statistics, the demand for fish in Côte d’Ivoire was 726,258 tons in 2023, while the country only produced about 110,000 tons during the same period, barely 15% of the demand. As a result, Côte d’Ivoire imports nearly 500 billion CFA francs worth of fish to cover the deficit.
Abou BAMBA, ALP coordinator, and Modibo SAMAKÉ, PSTACI coordinator, have committed to helping reduce these imports by locally producing 70% of the population’s fish needs. According to them, these initiatives will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for youth and women while lowering the cost of fisheries resources for the population.
The two signatory programs to this partnership agreement plan to integrate financial partners into this collaborative effort, alongside the Côte d’Ivoire Vocational Training Agency.
