African Regional Training and Capacity Building Workshop on Fisheries Trade and Development with a focus on Meeting International Standards

​The workshop is being organized by UNCTAD in cooperation with the Ministry of Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique. It aims to assist LDCs in the African region in harnessing the potential of their fishery sectors.

The event is one of the final phases of implementation of the Development Account Project titled: "Building the capacities of selected LDCs to upgrade and diversify their fish exports".

It will bring the lessons learned throughout the implementation of the project to representatives of the regional beneficiary countries: Mozambique, Uganda and Sao Tome and Principe as well as other developing countries, such as Mauritius and Viet Nam.

Experts from the International Standards Organization (ISO) and FAO-Mozambique will also participate in the event.

The principal objectives of the regional training and capacity building workshop are:

• To seek ways and means of upgrading and diversifying fish exports in the African region 
  
• To upgrade the technical knowledge and expertise in beneficiary countries including  to overcome challenges posed by international standards on fish exports 
  
• To investigate how international standards, regulations and measures in the areas of fish and fishery products affect developing countries' exports and their international competitiveness in the sector
  
• To recommend policies and strategies for implementation at the national, regional and international levels with a view to improving capacity to comply with international standards and enable developing countries  to diversify their exports by tapping their fishery potential

Beyond the above-mentioned objectives, the workshop is being held with a view to promoting the concept of regional Centers of Excellence in the developing world, and fostering South-South cooperation on sustainably tapping the potential of the fishery sector.

Fisheries constitute a sector that holds considerable potential for the diversification and development of emerging economies across the developing world.

Fish and fishery products are among the most important dynamic commodity products for LDCs. Despite its importance, the sector is often underdeveloped and the bulk of fish exports frequently consist of just a few products to a limited number of importing markets.

Compliance with international public and private standards is perhaps the most significant barrier to export for least developed economies.

While UNCTAD's project address many constraints on tapping the potential of the fisheries sector in LDCs, both on the supply and demand side, it focuses most heavily on developing the capacities of these countries to meet international standards.