Morocco’s Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries, Zakia Driouich, reaffirmed on Thursday in Abidjan Morocco’s firm commitment to a strengthened, proactive, and united African fisheries cooperation.
Speaking at the 11th Ministerial Conference on fisheries cooperation among African States bordering the Atlantic Ocean (ATLAFCO), Driouich highlighted ATLAFCO as a frame for inter-African cooperation in the sector, underlining Morocco’s support for South-South collaboration through knowledge sharing, joint efforts against illegal fishing, and the development of regional fisheries value chains.
She also emphasized “Africa’s sovereign right to sustainably manage its marine resources in its exclusive economic zones to safeguard maritime ecosystems for future generations,” showcasing Morocco’s experience in implementing development plans for fisheries and accompanying wishing member States in elaborating science-based policies in the field.
The Secretary of State called for coordinated African engagement in the upcoming High Seas Biodiversity Agreement (BBNJ), in order to preserve their rights of access to marine genetic resources, transfer of marine technologies, and equitable sharing of benefits
The Royal Initiative for the Atlantic, she noted, reflects Morocco’s broader efforts to foster regional integration and blue economy development, adding that, thanks to the Royal High Directions and the Halieutis Strategy launched in 2009, Morocco has adopted a structuring vision based on sustainability, performance and competitiveness, at the service of sustainable economic and social development.
On the sidelines of the 11th ATLAFCO Conference, Driouich took part in the official opening of the first Selab Fisheries expo, held in Abidjan from April 24 to 26.
ATLAFCO is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 gathering 22 countries from Morocco to Namibia. The ATLAFCO Constitutive Convention, “the Regional Convention on Fisheries Cooperation among African States bordering the Atlantic Ocean”, adopted on July 5, 1991 in Dakar, Senegal, sets out the areas and modalities of Regional Fisheries Cooperation between Member States.