Fisheries and aquaculture are an expanding sector in most of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). However, growth has been slow, and benefits do not always reach the communities who rely on these activities. In addition, poor fisheries and aquaculture practices can put stress on the marine environment, damaging the ecosystem and depleting fish populations.
The FISH4ACP programme was created to face these challenges. It is a global initiative supporting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture led by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and implemented by FAO with funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development.
In Cameroon, one of the twelve countries covered by the programme, FISH4ACP supports efforts to get shrimp – the main seafood export product of the country – back into business, promoting economic growth and jobs creation.
Among the potential beneficiaries of the programme, Anastasie Obama leads Defuscam, a food processing cooperative in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé. “I’ve started in food processing when I was very young,” says Anastasie who is busy smoking shrimp outside her store. She has been running her own business in the city for decades, however the revenues were not very substantial.
