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| Group Photograph of Participants to the 2nd Regional Training Workshop |
This is the second Regional Training Workshop organized by the ECOWAS Coastal and Marine Resources Management Centre, located within the University of Ghana, on the application of EO data for the management of fisheries resources in West Africa.
Governments along the West coast of Africa are losing several billions of dollars annually through illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing. Additionally, local artisanal fishermen are continuously at risk from dangers of the ocean. In the ECOWAS region, it is estimated that over 3 million people are directly or indirectly employed in the industry. In most countries along the coast, up to 40% of the GDP is based on earnings from the sector, and fish forms a significant portion of the animal protein. These benefits are presently threatened as a result of poor management practices.
In order to address these concerns, the continent-wide programme on Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) was initiated in 2013 among the 48 sub-Saharan African countries. The ECOWAS Marine Centre is implementing the MESA initiative to empower the 14 coastal countries, namely Benin, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinee, Guinee Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo). The focus is to strengthen the capacity of the countries to utilize earth observation data to sustainably manage their fisheries resources as well as providing early warning information on ocean conditions to artisanal fishers.
The training provided participants with user-friendly materials to enhance didactic learning. Through this, participants will be able to develop Potential Fishing Zones maps (PFZs) overlaid with vessel traffic in their area of interest, adapt ocean forecast data to region of interest and disseminate the products and services to wider community at the local level. The Centre also provides tools on remote sensing applications in other areas towards increased socio-economic benefits.
Governments along the West coast of Africa are losing several billions of dollars annually through illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing. Additionally, local artisanal fishermen are continuously at risk from dangers of the ocean. In the ECOWAS region, it is estimated that over 3 million people are directly or indirectly employed in the industry. In most countries along the coast, up to 40% of the GDP is based on earnings from the sector, and fish forms a significant portion of the animal protein. These benefits are presently threatened as a result of poor management practices.
In order to address these concerns, the continent-wide programme on Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) was initiated in 2013 among the 48 sub-Saharan African countries. The ECOWAS Marine Centre is implementing the MESA initiative to empower the 14 coastal countries, namely Benin, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinee, Guinee Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo). The focus is to strengthen the capacity of the countries to utilize earth observation data to sustainably manage their fisheries resources as well as providing early warning information on ocean conditions to artisanal fishers.
The training provided participants with user-friendly materials to enhance didactic learning. Through this, participants will be able to develop Potential Fishing Zones maps (PFZs) overlaid with vessel traffic in their area of interest, adapt ocean forecast data to region of interest and disseminate the products and services to wider community at the local level. The Centre also provides tools on remote sensing applications in other areas towards increased socio-economic benefits.
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| Mr. Bennet Foli (Trainer) interacting on processing techniques with a trainee. |
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