Food security: Stakeholders seek implementation of small-scale fisheries guidelines

To effectively tackle food insecurity in Nigeria, stakeholders from the fishing industry across the world have advocated the immediate implementation of the Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) guidelines.

The position was taken at the Opening Ceremony of a three-day National Stakeholders’ and Advocacy Capacity Building Workshop on Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines organised by the Faculty of Science, Lagos State University (LASU) in conjunction with the Food and Agricultural Organisation and International Collective in Support of Fish workers.

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Nigeria, they said stands to benefit greatly from the implementation of the guidelines, which had been adopted as far back as 2014.

In her presentation titled ‘Beyond Awareness on the SSF-Guidelines: Partnership Towards Ensuring that Small-Scale Fisheries Deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals’, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire emphasised that the implementation of the SSF was critical to the achievement of the country’s SDGs,

She assured that the agency will support relevant efforts to achieve the goals.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello in her opening remark noted that apart from fish production, the small-scale fisheries are firmly rooted in local communities, sustaining rich tradition and value systems in many fishing communities and villages across the country.

She mentioned that the sub-sector directly provides livelihood to about 2million people and a secondary source of employment for up to 20million people.