The project « Strengthening the Fisheries Sector in the Tunisian Coastal Communities of the Governorates of Nabeul, Sfax and Médenine » (NEMO HOUT), with funding of 5.5 million euros (about 18.6 million dinars), was officially launched on Thursday in Tunis.
Financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the NEMO HOUT project is implemented by the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM
Bari), in partnership with the Directorate General of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGPA) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries.
Indeed, the NEMO HOUT project, concerns the strengthening of artisanal fishing, the socio-economic integration of fishing ports, the fight against illicit, unreported and unregulated fishing (INN), capacity development, as well as the creation of new economic opportunities for the benefit of coastal communities, said Naoufel Romdhane, director of fisheries promotion at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Lasting three years, the program in question will be implemented in the governorates of Nabeul, Sfax and Medenine, for the benefit of professionals in the sector, young people, women and local actors in the coastal areas concerned, said Romdhane.
He will intervene in the ports of Sidi Daoud (governate of Nabeul), Sfax, Mahrès, Skhira and El Kraten (governorate of Sfax), as well as in El Ketf (governorate of Médenine), he explained, adding that he will also target the Professional Fishing Training Centers (CFPP) of Sfax and Zarzis.
The manager, moreover, says that the choice of CIHEAM Bari as an executive agency is part of the continuity of a historic partnership with the DGPA, consolidated through several structuring projects, including NEMO I, NEMO Il and NEMO Kantara.
For his part, the Head of the NEMEO HOUT Project, Federico Rivara, stressed that it will strengthen the capacities of all key players in the fisheries sector, from professional fishermen’s organizations, to public technical and administrative services in charge of managing the sector, as well as private operators in the sector.
In the same context, he indicated that six professional organizations composed of 200 fishermen, 20% of which are women, will benefit from projects.
With regard to the public sector, Rivara stressed that 38 members of the administrative and training services will have to benefit.
Regarding the beneficiary private operators, he announced that 66 private operators in the fishing sector (Startups and companies), 50 young beneficiaries of training courses and 1,500 employees of private operators, 70% of whom are women (indirect), will benefit from NEMO HOUT.
This approach, he explained, aims on the one hand to improve port services in the targeted ports, strengthen monitoring, control and maintenance systems and improve the traceability of the sector and consolidate the capacities of the structures responsible for supporting young people towards entrepreneurship, in addition to supporting innovative, sustainable companies and startups with high development potential.
For Francesco Pallocca, Deputy Director of the AICS Tunis office, the launch of NEMO HOUT marks the beginning of a collective dynamic bringing together institutions, local actors, the private sector and civil society around a common goal; namely the development of a sustainable, inclusive and job-creating Tunisian blue economy.
For the Italian Cooperation, he added, fishing is much more than an economic activity, it is part of the identity of coastal communities and contributes to food security, local employment and social cohesion.
In this context, the NEMO HOUT project, which aims to strengthen artisanal fishing in all its dimensions, will play a strategic role by investing in human capital and organizing the sector and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially for young and small fishermen.
It will contribute to the enhancement of coastal communities while preserving marine heritage, through better governance of the sector and support for sustainable and innovative initiatives.
He also recalled that NEMO HOUT is part of the « Blue Tunisia » program, which mobilizes 33 million euros to support the Tunisian blue economy in order to promote competitive, sustainable and inclusive coastal development, in line with Tunisian national priorities and those of Italian Cooperation.
source : la presse
