Fish Sellers in Serrekunda Market decry diminishing fish industry

Fish Vendor busy at the Tanji Sea site

Fish sellers in the Serrekunda market which can be considered as one of the biggest market that supplied more than 200,000 inhabitants with daily fish consumptions cried low catch of fish nowadays. 

In an exclusive chat with Mansa Banko Blog, speaker after speaker lamented the high cost of fish saying that nowadays, they are not getting plenty fish from the fishermen compared to the past five years thus the price of fish is escalating daily in the market.

Mrs. Meita Bojang, narrated that she have been in the fishing industry buying and selling fish (Bonga) for the past seven (7) years, and noted that “the prices fluctuate  as sometimes it is cheap and a times its expensive.”

 “When we got it at cheap price from the fishermen, we also sell it at cheap price and if we get it at an expensive price vice versa,” she said.

No fish, no health- Fish meal contain proteins

In Africa, including the Islamic Republic of the Gambia, many families suffer from malnutrition due to lack of good quality fish consumption in their houses.

The problem of malnutrition affects the entire population, but for children under five and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. 

Poor communities are more dependent on the natural resources they find in their surroundings than wealthy people are. The poor, moreover, are especially vulnerable in situations of crisis. 

The fishing sector is important for developing countries in other ways as well; it is a source of income for fish-folk. 

We mainly treat malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, anaemia, hypertension and pregnancy related complications- and most of them are made worse by malnutrition.

If fishing grounds are to stay rich in the long run, they must not be over exploited to provide food for millions.

GENDER AND YOUTH: New models of masculinity and feminity to fight gender inequality

Women and Youth

The Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa- Creating a conducive and enabling environment for the fish sector to create equitable, social and economic development in Africa, highlights that, to a make sustainable positive changes in gender equality, a long-term bottom-up process requiring adequate funding is needed and to recongnize the critical role played by women within fisheries.

According to the Policy document, putting in place mechanisms to promote and protect women’s rights to participate in all aspects of marine, coastal and inland water fisheries governance and management and seek to improve access of women to fish and fish markets, particularly through the provision of credit at affordable rates is key. While consideration of age is important in gender analysis, youth also needs specific attention in its own right.

AU-IBAR, World Bank others raised concerns on the marginalization of the fisheries sector

This event- Fisheries Communications Workshop on Harnessing the Power of Media to Raise Awareness on the issues of the African Fisheries Sector- is the culmination of enormous collective efforts which began with conceptualization of the idea by World Bank team in collobration with AU-IBAR and many other institutions that contributed in one form or another towards the organisation of the workshop says Dr. Mohamed Seisay, Senior Fisheries Officer AU-IBAR.

Dr. Seisay was reading a statement on behalf of the AU-IBAR Director at the official opening ceremony of the 29^th February-4^th March, 2016 African Journalists for Sustainable Fisheries Workshop held in Elmina, Ghana which gathered more than 140 journalists- newspapers, TV, radios and online from 40 African countries.

Giving a brief overview of the African union institute, the co-convener of the workshop said the inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a speacilized technical office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission and has been in existence since 1951 with main focus on animal production and health issues, livestock, fisheries and wildlife as resources for both human wellbeing and economic development in the Member States of the African Union.

UNDP at 50: World must step up to beat poverty by 2030

Women in a training centre for traditional handicrafts in Bangladesh

New York City - Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is only possible with a broad coalition of leaders from government, civil society, multilaterals and the private sector, said Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, (UNDP) on the eve of a major Ministerial Meeting to mark the organisation’s 50th anniversary.

The SDGs are the 17 ambitious goals that set out the world’s development agenda between now and 2030, and include a commitment to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and spread peace and justice.
“Government leadership is vital for achieving the SDGs, together with partnerships with civil society, the private sector, philanthropy and the multilateral system. Working together, we can achieve our goals of a world which is free of poverty and inequality,” Helen Clark said.

AU-IBAR, World Bank in collaboration with USAID to edified journalists on African Fisheries

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the World Bank in collaboration with USAID and the West Africa Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission will jointly host the Fisheries Communication Workshop, according to a media alert made available to Mansa Banko blog. 

The Ghana, workshop will be held in Elimina, Accra from 29th February – 4th March, 2016.
 
The workshop will bring together print, online, radio and TV journalists under the theme “Harnessing the Power of Media to Raise Awareness on Africa’ Fisheries”.

The AU/IBAR and World Bank will cover the cost of participation for sponsored participants including air tickets and accommodation.

Participants attending the high level workshop to gather more than 140 journalists with vast experience in reporting and broadcasting from the print, electronic, online and TV from 40 African countries. 

Gambia’s Honorary Consular to Egypt courtesy call on Minister Bojang

From L-R: Hatem Raslan & Minister Sheriff Bojang

The Gambian Honorary Consular in Egypt, Hatem Raslan on Monday 22^nd February, 2016 paid a visit to Honorable Sheriff Bojang, Minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure in his office at GRTS Building, MDI Road in Kanifing.

The Honorary Consular is currently in the country for an official visit to meet government with government officials as well as to discuss with top government officials on opportunities avail in Egypt in the ‘best interest’ of The Gambia.

Speaking in his office, Minister Bojang welcomes Raslan and congratulates him on his appointment to serve his country- The Gambia.

Mr. Bojang stated that The Gambia and Egypt has a long relationship and the relationship of the two countries has also been very coordinal saying that His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhagie Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh has always been empathizing in his statements that Egypt has been very supportive to his government.

Minister Bojang assured the Gambia's Consular that the two countries will continue working together to promote the development agenda thus improve the socio-economic development of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia.