Activities

On the sidelines of the Seafood4Africa forum held in Dakhla (Kingdom of Morocco), the Executive Secretariat of ATLAFCO and the Executive Bureau of the Media Observatory for Sustainable Fisheries in Africa (MOSFA) held a strategic consultation meeting aimed at assessing their cooperation and strengthening their synergy in support of the promotion of sustainable fishing in member states.

This high-level meeting is part of the ongoing effort to consolidate a collaboration recognized for its significant contribution to promoting regional and continental initiatives in the management and sustainable use of fisheries resources and raising awareness among stakeholders about the challenges of developing the regional blue economy.

During this meeting, the President of the MOSFA, Mr. Léonce AISSOUN, reaffirmed the Observatory's ongoing commitment to supporting ATLAFCO and its member states in disseminating strategic information and promoting the actions and programs undertaken for the benefit of these member states. He emphasized the crucial role of the MOSFA as a platform specializing in the production and dissemination of media content that contributes to increasing the visibility of ATLAFCO's initiatives and fostering a better understanding of the challenges of the sustainable use of living marine resources among stakeholders in the sector.

The discussions also helped to identify certain challenges related in particular to the evolution of the African media landscape, the professional mobility of specialist journalists and the need to ensure generational renewal to adapt communication strategies to technological changes and new modes of information dissemination.

For his part, the Executive Secretary of ATLAFCO commended the quality and relevance of the work carried out by the MOSFA since the establishment of the partnership. He highlighted the strategic importance of the role of these specialized media in supporting fisheries policies, strengthening South-South cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture, promoting ocean sustainability, sharing experiences, and raising awareness among the African fishing community and local fishing communities about the principles of sustainable use of living marine resources.

Both parties also stressed the need to further consolidate this cooperation and, in a forward-looking approach, ATLAFCO encouraged the MOSFA to continue its efforts to renew and strengthen its network, promoting its expansion through the integration of young media professionals specializing in fisheries, ocean sustainability, aquaculture and marine environmental preservation.

To this end, ATLAFCO reaffirmed its willingness to support this new dynamic through the organization of capacity-building programs, frameworks for the exchange of experiences and training initiatives for African journalists to raise awareness about the principle of the sustainable use of living marine resources at the continental level.

Through this ongoing dialogue, ATLAFCO and MOSFA have reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening their strategic and institutional communication in the interest of their member states.

This partnership illustrates the importance of the role of specialized African fisheries media in supporting South-South cooperation actions through the promotion of ATLAFCO activities, raising awareness in the African community about the principle of sustainable use of living marine resources and its role in food security, job creation and the development of a resilient and inclusive regional blue economy that creates wealth.