Ifad to help maritime academy in its fishery curriculum |02 June 2016

The International Fund for Agricultural Development is to financially help the Seychelles Maritime Academy with its fishery laboratory renovation and safety at sea classes.

In line with this, the East and Southern African Region director of the Ifad, Sana Jatta, who is on an official visit to Seychelles, yesterday visited the academy at Providence.

Accompanying him on the visit were the country programme director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) for Seychelles based in Nairobi, Valantine Achancho; project coordinator for Seychelles Georges Bibi; and the director and high officials of SMA.

Ifad, in liaison with the Competitive Local Innovations for Small-Scale Agriculture (Clissa), are undertaking three main projects which will benefit the maritime academy.

A fishery laboratory will be constructed for the SMA where Ifad will provide equipment.

The second project is to conduct a training programme for fishermen and youths and on how to maintain fishery equipment and the third one is training in safety at sea.

“For example if an accident occurs at sea, there will not be a need to bring in an engineer, for example. The fishermen will know how to fix the equipment themselves,” said Mr Bibi.

Mr Bibi remarked that many fishermen do not know how to swim in order to protect their colleagues or themselves at sea. Therefore another of Ifad’s project is to train fishermen in safety at sea, as well as train youths of both gender in making and handling fish traps and nets.

“What we are trying to do is to change the mindset of people about fishing being a low grade job and make them realise it is a business where you can get your livelihood,” said Mr Bibi.

Apart from visiting the survival training classroom and current fishery laboratory at SMA, the delegation also visited a beekeeping business belonging to Paul Richard of Quincy Village and a farm at La Gogue owned by Jeris Moncherry.

The visit to the bee farm was included because the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) has been given certain financial help to promote apiculture (honey production).

Apiculture is linked to pollination which again is related to farming because when plants are pollinated farmers get better and more natural yields.

ICIPE researches and develops alternative and environmentally friendly pest and vector management strategies that are effective, selective, non-polluting, non-resistance inducing, and which are affordable to resource-limited rural and urban communities. ICIPE's mandate extends to the conservation and use of the rich insect biodiversity found in Africa.

Mr Bibi also said these are the small projects that have been earmarked for financial help from Ifad.

“If we earmark other projects next year which we feel are within our mandate and therefore need financial assistance from Ifad, we will do the necessary to help and promote the artisanal fisheries sector,” added Mr Bibi.