H.E. Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries of Côte d’Ivoire, with Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed, Director General of WorldFish.
Photo: WorldFish
The government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and WorldFish have signed an agreement that will establish the organisation’s regional innovation hub for West Africa in Côte d’Ivoire.
Under the terms of the agreement, Côte d’Ivoire will provide USD 3 million (€2.6m) and will make available office and research infrastructure in Abidjan, Loka, Jacqueville and Mopoyem to support scientific collaboration, capacity building and innovation aiming to boost the region's aquatic food system.
Announcing the agreement, the partners said that Côte d’Ivoire currently imports nearly USD 1 billion worth of fish each year. By partnering with WorldFish, the Côte d’Ivoire government aims to increase domestic production, reduce its import bill and open up new opportunities for jobs, nutrition and climate resilience in the sector.
“Côte d’Ivoire is putting real commitment behind a shared vision for science, innovation and impact across West Africa," said Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed, Director General of WorldFish.
"This hub will accelerate research and strengthen local capacity so countries can produce more of their own aquatic foods and open up new paths to prosperity in the communities and markets that rely on this sector,” he added.
H.E. Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries of Côte d’Ivoire, described the agreement as “a major strategic choice, making our country a hub for coordinating regional research programmes, a space for supporting public policies, and a catalyst for innovation to assist countries in their transition to sustainable, high-performing, and competitive aquaculture.”
The news follows the announcement earlier this month that WorldFish and Türkiye have signed Memorandum of Understanding to boost research on fisheries and aquaculture.
WorldFish, which celebrated its 50th annniversary this year, was also recently awarded an honour by the FAO for its work on food security, as part of the UN agency's first Global Technical Recognition for Sustainable Aquatic Food Systems.