Somalia’s Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy, Mr. Ahmed Hassan Aden, today received Mr. Étienne Peterschmitt, the Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with the delegation he led, at the ministry’s headquarters to discuss the overall state of the country’s fisheries sector and ongoing development efforts.
During the meeting, the Minister briefed FAO on the wide-ranging activities underway at the ministry, including the development of the ministry’s infrastructure and facilities, as well as efforts aimed at strengthening the growth and improvement of the country’s fisheries sector.
For its part, FAO presented an update on the joint projects it is implementing with the ministry, including the rehabilitation of the Liido Fish Market and the Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS) project, both of which are playing an important role in modernizing and improving the management of the sector.
FAO also provided information on other projects for which funding is being sought, particularly the Blue Transformation Project, which had previously faced financing challenges but is now being pushed forward through renewed implementation efforts.
In addition, the ministry is placing strong emphasis on plans to improve schoolchildren’s nutrition, with programs being prepared to include fish in school meals in order to increase fish consumption and support the health and growth of students. These initiatives are expected to begin soon.
Both sides underscored the major importance of the Blue Economy and agreed to strengthen efforts to advance it, noting that it is a sector with broad opportunities and still faces fewer constraints than many other productive sectors in the country.
In conclusion, the meeting ended with a mutual understanding to strengthen cooperation and accelerate priority projects aimed at advancing Somalia’s fisheries sector and blue economy
