By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Email fellajuahstepheng@gmail.com
Scores of journalists have benefited from a two-day workshop, focusing on Liberia’s Fisheries Sector, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, December 13-14, 2022.
The training with support from the European Union (EU) was initiated by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) at the Golden Key hotel in Paynesville.
According to EJF, the workshop is a component of a four year Communities For Fisheries project being implemented in four counties, to include Grand Kru, Margibi, Grand Bassa and Grand Cape Mount counties. .
The initiative also focusses on broading the knowledge of media practitioners of each of the sector institution.
It sets the platform to strengthen network with other stakeholders in the sector at a united front to mainstream activities of the sector in a way that yield the desire benefit to people who are involved and the country.
Presentation came from various speakers on several topics, to include the Impact on Fisheries, Best Practice for Sustainable Fisheries, as well as Managing Fisheries Through Laws, Policies, Regulations, Agreements and International Instruments.
Moreover the training was interpersed with exchanges between the facilitators who came from EJF, NaFAA, the EU and participants.
In her remarks, EU Representative and Delegation to Liberia, Maria Winnubst, encouraged participating journalists to consider the sector very important. She further that the EU envision to see an improved work and monitoring work to enhance good governance of the sector.
For his part, during his presentation, Cephas Asare, Chief Representative of EJF enjoined journalists to begin to look more into the fisheries sector. The EJF Chief told participants to go beyond just the headlines to be able to tell the truth of the sector.
It is recorded that 80 percent of the Liberian populace depends on fisheries for livelihood. 78, 453 people are directly or indirectly employed by the fisheries sector.
NaFAA statistics revealed that there are 4, 874 foreigners in the sector, while 10, 862 are Liberians, totaling to 15,736.
It further that there are 3,317 marine fisheries. Males 3, 230, while females 87 people, according to NaFAA Director General for Technical Services, William Boeh. Additionally, Mr. Boeh told the forum that NaFAA with help from the Co-operative Development Agency (CDA) have established 66 co-operatives in the fisheries sector, as well as set up structures, like the Village Loan and Association gear towards building the capacity of women to take leadership.
