Training in Fisheries and Aquaculture Governance

However, until today fisheries interventions take place at three levels of government (federal, state and local) but with little or no synergy between them. In most cases a top-down approach is applied where each level of government conceives projects without consulting other stakeholders and with little consideration of their environmental consequences. This results in unsustainable project outcomes, waste of resources and continuing poverty in fishing communities.

Fisheries Society of Nigeria

The Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) was initially set up by public officers as a trade union open to all, but due to the large number of academic members it transformed into a sort of an academic forum. The inclusion of the private sector at a later stage brought the need to operate as a professional body and a regulator of the sector operations. This has been the main activity of the Society since then.

The need for a tailor-made training of FISON's staff and council members (from the public and private sector) became critical in contributing to sustainable management of the sector. Bringing public and private sector together enables sharing of experiences from different perspectives with the hope that it brings common understanding among the stakeholders.

A tailor-made training in fisheries and aquaculture governance for FISON council and staff members from all corners of Nigeria was facilitated by CDI, to enhance the competency of FISON through increased technical competence and theoretical knowledge, and improvement of the interpersonal skills as facilitators of change processes (participatory planning, coordination and monitoring) in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The training was held from May 4 to 22 in Abuja.