Sierra Leone joins FiTI!
FREETOWN, September 16-20, 2024. The Republic of Sierra Leone has committed to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and implement the FiTI Standard! Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Hon. Princess Dugba conveyed this commitment via an official letter to the Chair of the FiTI International Board, Dr. Valeria Merino, on September 20th, 2024.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), fisheries are important in Sierra Leone, contributing to food security and export earnings. Sierra Leone’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is exploited by artisanal fishing as well as an industrial sector, with a significant portion of the fleet made up of foreign vessels operating under licence agreements as well as joint-venture arrangements.
In her letter to the FiTI Chair, the Hon. Minister Princess Dugba emphasised that her Ministry understands the critical importance of making fisheries data and information publicly accessible, thereby improving decision-making processes and enhancing the trust of stakeholders including investors, fishing vessel operations, the private sector and local and international partners. The Hon. Minister also expressed that Sierra Leone looks forward to engaging with the FiTI and cooperating countries to share knowledge, experiences and practices that will further the mutual goal of transparency and sustainable fisheries management.
“I am committed to working collaboratively with FiTI to enhance transparency in the fisheries sector and ensure that fisheries activities within our jurisdiction are conducted in a manner that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable,” the Hon. Minister wrote.
This public commitment came amid a recent country mission to Sierra Leone, where the FiTI International Secretariat engaged with relevant government and non-government fisheries sector stakeholders and discussed the importance of enhancing transparency in fisheries management. Hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), FiTI’s Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa, Mr Godfred Asiedu, met with the Minister, Deputy Minister, Permanent Secretary, Director of Fisheries, and Divisional and Technical Heads of the Ministry to introduce the FiTI and the FiTI Standard and discuss a path toward successful implementation in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Asiedu also met with representatives from the Artisanal Fisheries Consortium (AFC), an umbrella body for several small-scale fisheries associations, including the Sierra Leone Artisanal Fishermen’s Union (SLAFU), the Sierra Leone Amalgamated Artisanal Fishermen’s Union (SLAAFU), and the Sierra Leone Indigenous Artisanal Fishermen’s Union (SLIAFU). Taking the opportunity to engage with large-scale fisheries stakeholders, Mr Asiedu held meetings with executives from the Sierra Leone Industrial Fishing Company Association (SLIFCA) and the African Women in Fish Processing and Traders Network (AWFISHNET). Finally, Mr Asiedu also discussed the FiTI at a meeting with representatives from the GOAL-Sierra Leone Blue Economy Program and Sierra Leone Open Government Partnership (OGP), hosted by the National Council for Civic Education and Democracy (NaCCED).
During these meetings, government, civil society and private sector stakeholders embraced the envisioned roadmap for Sierra Leone to enhance fisheries transparency and pledged their support for the successful implementation of the FiTI in Sierra Leone.
With this commitment, Sierra Leone joins a global movement that already includes several countries from Africa, Latin America, and the West Indian Ocean regions.
