The first African Women’s Fish Processors and Traders Symposium

Posted by Hlengiwe Zwane on 22 November 2019 1:40 PM CAT

The first African Women’s Fish Processors and Traders Symposium was held from 19th to the 21st November 2019 in Fairway Hotel Kampala. Members participated in the symposium that was organized and hosted by Uganda National Women’s Fish Organisation (NWFOU) in collaboration with Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and Ministry of Social Development, Labour and Gender (MSDLG).

The purpose of the symposium was to amplify AWFISHNET’s goal of creating ‘One Voice’ for Africa’s women fish processors and traders in order to leverage their role and contribution thus promoting equitable benefit sharing for women in Africa’s fisheries sector. The rationale for this was to address the gender inequalities and gender-related bottlenecks affecting the contribution of women, who dominate post-harvest and marketing segments of Africa’s fisheries value-chains.

It was duly recognized that unless women working within the sector were empowered to contribute to decision-making processes, the sustainable growth and contribution of Africa’s fisheries sector to socio-economic development would remain questionable.

The First African Women’s Fish Processors and Traders Symposium and Trade Fair aimed at:

• Sharing best practices, experiences, technologies and learning among Africa’s women fish processors and traders.

• Linking women fish processors and traders to new local and regional market opportunities show-casing the initiatives and role of women in Uganda, East Africa’s and the continental fisheries sector.

• A total of 159 participants from 34 African Union Member States participated in the event.

• At the trade fair, the participants displayed fish products produced by women in their respective counties offering an opportunity for establishing contacts and developing Business-to-Business opportunities.

As AWFISEHNET, mobilise resources, organise and participate the key recommendations are as follows :

• Promote and strengthen AWFISHNET within the continent.
• Study to determine the actual status, roles and contribution of women to Africa’s fishery sector building capacity in business development skills.
• Standardising, quality assurance, packaging and labelling to improve access to markets.
• The need for data and establishing an AWFISHNET database as a resource for information on the status of women in the industry, business and market opportunities.

AWFISHNET members and partners, to advocate on the following to improve the status of women and their businesses in the fisheries on the organisations' behalf :  

• Improving the competitiveness and access to women’s products to market.Training of women in value-addition, fish quality control and fish standards.

• Harmonization of regional and continental standards and fish trade arrangement.

• Promote equity in fish tradeFacilitate and/or advance the work and enterprises of women in the fishery industry.
• Collaboration, knowledge sharing and cluster formation for women fish business.

• Promote Gender Responsive Budgeting in Africa’s fisheries sector to ensure resources allocated to the industry serve to empower women, youth and persons with disabilities derive sustainable livelihoods and contribute to sustainable fisheries management.

The event enabled the women to identify with each other, their opportunities and challenges and establish linkages as well as forge unity within the network.