Head of ‘Greenpeace’ Africa Oceans Campaign
Dr Aliou Ba, the Head of the Greenpeace Africa Oceans Campaign said ‘feeding Africa’ MUST mean protecting the continent’s Oceans and fish resources, for the benefit of her population.
Dr. Bah made this emphatic statement in Dakar on Thursday 26th January 2023, where Greenpeace Africa called on African leaders attending the “Dakar 2 Summit” on “Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience”, to take concrete action to protect the fisheries sector, which provides the livelihood of millions of people in Africa, by ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks, specifically small pelagic fish, which contribute significantly to the economy and food security of millions of Africa’s populations.
“This summit comes at an opportune time because of the food insecurity that is rampant on the continent. The heads of state present at this meeting must come out with a firm action plan that prioritizes the food sovereignty of their people. Of the approximately 828 million people who suffer from hunger in the world, one third live in Africa. This figure is likely to increase in the future if nothing is done to stop the systematic plundering of the fisheries stocks off the African coast. Foreign trawlers and the fishmeal and fish oil industry are an undeniable threat to African food security.
“Africa can feed itself if states manage the continent’s resources well. One of the solutions for states today is to prioritize fisheries resources for local consumption and to put an end to the activities of foreign trawlers and the fishmeal and oil factories. We are glad that this summit is focusing on this subject, but we will be disappointed if concrete action is not taken to achieve true food sovereignty in Africa,” Dr. Bah said.
To ensure the food sovereignty of Africans, Greenpeace Africa called on governments to put an end to the plundering of African resources and to encourage the production and promotion of local products.
