Fisheries: FG, Worldfish team set to upscale

Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri

In view of 3.1 million metric tons of fisheries requirement in the country for local consumption, the Federal Government (FG) and Worldfish research centre have come up with a proactive strategy to scale up production through sea captures and aquaculture using improved technologies.

This new development was the outcome of the two day meeting held sometimes at Transcorp Hilton around March in Abuja which was well attended by major stakeholders from the private sector, Research Institutes and other value chains of the sub economy in Agriculture.

The Director of International Partnership, Worldfish Research Centre, Mr. David Shearer has identified the followings as way forward between now and next year saying the upcoming steps from 2018 to 2019 are as follow “Review of the WorldFish Nigeria Program; Impact Pathways Consultation; Commencement of Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) activities in Nigeria; Identification of funding opportunities by partners; and Implementation of the second WorldFish project in Nigeria in 2019”

Mr. Shearer said the main objective of the workshop was to bring together different stakeholders to deliberate on steps towards establishment of WorldFish Nigeria programs saying the meeting was to discuss the scoping and aquaculture value chain assessment reports of 2017, and to achieve consensus on priority areas for research, discuss the regional approach to program implementation including funding mechanisms, discuss and recommend program based approach and modalities for the establishment of WorldFish Nigeria program, and finally to agree on a Country Program Framework for a road map.

In his opening remark as the chairman of the ceremony, the Minister of State, FMARD, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (PhD) pointed that the meeting was initiated in order to fathom out more improved ways of fish production to checkmate import with improved research technologies saying “ part  of our challenge has to do with fish feeds which is apparently too expensive because it was basically imported, and we need to see how we can develop a cheaper way of feeding them that would automatically affect the price of fish sold in the country.  

 Also the Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mr. Mohammed Muazu ably represented by Babatunde John commended the WorldFish Center for establishing their presence in the country, noted that Nigeria was the second largest aquaculture producer in Africa despite inherent challenges of scarcity of improved fish seeds in the sub sector. He therefore urged the WorldFish Centre to look into the capacity development of fisheries among research institutes, universities and small and medium scale fish farmers with a breeding programme on tilapia in Nigeria.

Also, the National Project Coordinator, WAAPP Dr. James Ocheme Apochi used the occasion to present series of programmes and activities his organization has carried out being an ECOWAS project sponsored by the World Bank with the mandate of promoting sustainable agriculture, added that aquaculture has remained a very strategic commodity of the programme alongside research grant, distribution of smoking kiln to reduce post-harvest losses and establishment of fish feed mills to boost productivity.

 

WAAP Dr. Apochi further informed the meeting that owing to the successes recorded so far by the project which have made World Bank to rate it as the second best project, the programme is entering another phase and it would be referred to as West Africa Agricultural Transformation Project (WAATP) with a mandate to identify regional problems and proffer solutions to them. He expressed willingness of the Project to collaborate with the WorldFish Programme in Nigeria for the development of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

David Shearer, Director, International Partnership, WorldFish gave a presentation on the opportunities in partnering with WorldFish and engagement with the FISH CGIAR research Program. He established to the forum that Fish is crucial to any debate and action to reduce poverty and improve food security and nutrition. He added that the WorldFish would be delivering the program in Nigeria through their global program FISH-CRP which has as its objectives the sustainable increase in the supply of fish from aquaculture; securing and enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries; and increasing the availability and consumption of fish. His presentation further highlighted three important ‘P’s to the success of the WorldFish Nigeria program: Priority, Partnership and Pipeline which he elucidated respectively as identification of critical needs to be addressed, collaboration with relevant agencies, and financial support for the program.

 TECHNICAL SESSIONS

1.        The paper one (1) presented by Mr. I.E Pwaspo on “Status of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Nigeria” focuses on history, status and characteristic of aquaculture in Nigeria.The presentation focused on the history, status and characteristics of Nigeria aquaculture sector. It highlighted the contribution of various national government, regional initiatives and development partners to the growth of the aquaculture industry in Nigeria. Also mentioned is the direction of the current agricultural policy vis-à-vis its implementation in the fisheries and aquaculture subsector and the various activities being carried out geared towards increase in fish production, import reduction, increase in foreign exchange earnings, job creation etc. The different fish species found in the Nigeria fresh and marine waters, the rarely cultured and the cultured ones, and the current drive to diversify the cultured fish species to include others of economic importance were discussed. Having discussed the various developments in the sector and the identified gaps, propositions were made for way forward which anchored mainly on effective collaboration and partnership. 

 2. Paper (2) on Aquaculture Value Chain Assessment in Oyo State, Nigeria Report presented by Prof. Tosan Fregene and Prof. Bola Omonona assess the status of aquaculture in Nigeria. In view of the large scope of the country, Oyo State was selected for the assessment being the central hub of aquaculture in the country. The study analyzed the sub-sector’s contribution of approximately US$ 2.5 billion to the country’s GDP and supports about 7 million people directly and indirectly. However, out of 2.7m tons required annually, only 0.8m was produced.  The study entails rapid reconnaissance survey of actors; identification of those communities within a LGA; identification of key actors and key informants. The study identified catfish and tilapia as majorly reared species. While catfish is predominant, the introduction of tilapia in the study area was in 2016 by private companies engaging in cage culture. Key conclusions from the study includes the need for good quality pelletized feed and the need for large scale processors who will off-take small farmers’ produce at a good price.

3. Dr. Rohana Subasinghe on “Fish for Food, Nutrition and Income through Enabling Youth in Nigeria: Scoping Report” focused on some important key statistics on Nigeria aquaculture, the available knowledge and the potential research areas. The presentation established that Nigeria has the highest population growth in Africa, with approximately 184 million people, accounting for 47% of West Africa’s population, with 50 percent youth. Over 25 percent of Nigerian youth are currently unemployed. Fisheries sector is relatively small with 3-4 percent contribution to the GDP. Over the past 35 years, aquaculture production in Nigeria has grown 12 percent a year making the country the largest aquaculture fish producer in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 54 percent of the total fish production in the sub-region.  Proposed research program components include more quality seed; more affordable feeds; sustainable fish production; more profits through value adding; and fish production for improving rural nutrition.

4. Mrs. Aena Serwah Asante On “FCWC Recent initiatives and findings in small scale fisheries in the region” discussed the activities of the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea in the region and particularly the recent initiatives promoting fisheries development among the member states.The Technical Cooperation Project (TCP-3512) was also carried out in the sub-region to address the need for improved information on artisanal fisheries.

5. Fish Feeds and Survival of Aquaculture Industry in Nigeria: A survey of locally available feed ingredients – Dr. Agboola Jeleel Opeyemi overviewed the status of aquaculture in Africa with challenges militating against its growth, particularly the high cost of production owing to the high cost of fish feed. The survey was therefore carried out in selected African countries to identify locally available ingredients that could be used in fish feed production. Of particular importance are those ingredients that could serve as suitable alternatives to fish meal. Potential candidates surveyed include Single Cell Protein (SCP), insects and aquatic plants. It was noted however that in identifying suitable alternative, it is important to put into consideration the general proximate, amino acid and fatty acid content of the alternatives in relation with the fish meal.

 

6. Dr. Harrison Karisa presentation on “Breeding Programs and Genetically Improved Fish Seed” pondered on the need for genetic improvement program for aquatic species. It appraised various methodologies and options that could be considered in the WorldFish Nigeria Program in view of the limited resources, and proffered need for more food with better utilization of available resources to produce. In view of the development of Nigeria aquaculture, two options may be considered for the WorldFish Nigeria Program: medium term option of utilizing already existing improved strain; and long term plan of developing improved strain from indigenous species.

7 Experiences from partners: IITA Youth Entrepreneurship Program – Mrs. Ajibola Olaniyi, IITA-IYA

The experience from the Youth Entrepreneurship Program of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) was shared. The program was initiated to address the spate of unemployment and under-employment among the youth especially young graduates. The approach involves mobilization, mindset changing, training, organizational development, mentorship, and profitable venture. Aquaculture was selected as the major enterprise for the program. The beneficiaries are therefore provided with start-up capital and with good performance, the loans can be scaled up. Some of the impacts of the Program include rehabilitation of abandoned facilities for aquaculture use; establishment of fish farms for youth within and outside Nigeria; Promoting/disseminating modern day production technology; and contribution of over 300mt of fish to fish production.

In view of the progress in the series of engagements and discussions, the followings key way forward was provided by Mr. David Shearer for the WorldFish Nigeria Program, 2018-2019.

i.          Review of the WorldFish Nigeria Program;

ii.        Impact pathways consultation;

iii.       Commencement of Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) activities in Nigeria;

iv.       Identification of funding opportunities by partners; and

v.        Implementation of the second WorldFish project in Nigeria in 2019.

6.0 CLOSING

The meeting was closed by the representative of the Director of Fisheries, Mr. Babatunde John, Deputy Director of Fisheries, who commended the participants for their active contributions throughout the meeting. He also appreciated the WorldFish team for the commencement of the project in Nigeria and looked forward to the foreseen impact the Program will have on the fisheries and aquaculture sector of the country.

In support of the development of WorldFish country research program in Nigeria, World

Fish and the Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organized a two-day Stakeholders workshop on 20-21 March 2018. The meeting took place at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja and brought together a diverse group of participants including donors, government officials, regional and national research organizations, and stakeholders from the aquaculture and fisheries industry.

The main objective of the workshop was to bring together different stakeholders to deliberate on steps towards establishment of WorldFish Nigeria programs. Specifically, the objectives of the meeting was to discuss the scoping and aquaculture value chain assessment reports of 2017, achieve consensus on priority areas for research, discuss the regional approach to program implementation including funding mechanisms, discuss and recommend program based approach and modalities for the establishment of WorldFish Nigeria program, and agree on a Country Program Framework for Nigeria.