WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2024 11 CHAPTER REPORTS Remarks by WAS African Chapter President, Madam Foluke Areola, Presented at AQUACULTURE AFRICA 2024 (AFRAQ24), Hammamet, Tunisia Program Director, Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries for the Republic of Tunisia Mr. Ezzedine Ben Chiekh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock for Republic of Zambia Engineer Himba Cheelo, His Excellency: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for Angola in Algeria and Tunisa Mr. Toko Diakenda Serão, Director of the National Institute of Marine Science and Technology (INSTM) Professor Saloua Sadok, World Aquaculture Society President Dr. David Cline, Representatives from African Union Agencies – AUDA-NEPAD and AU-IBAR, Representatives from UN Agencies – FAO and the World Bank, Senior representatives from African State Departments of fisheries and aquaculture, Representatives from non-state actors, private sector entities and developmental agencies, Distinguished delegates and WAS members from various countries: Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the World Aquaculture Society, it is my great pleasure and honour to be part of this important event and to welcome you to The Third Annual International Conference and Exposition of the African Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society 2024, which the government of the Republic of Tunisia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries is hosting for the next three days here in Hammamet. The event is happening at a time when the African Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society is celebrating its fifth-year anniversary, serving in science, technology, education and information exchange for the progressive and sustainable development of aquaculture in Africa. This event is happening after previous successful AFRAQ events in Egypt (2022) and Zambia (2023) and has affirmed WAS as an essential platform that brings global aquaculture actors together for a common vision. I would like to thank the governments of Egypt and Zambia for being the pioneers in hosting the first two conferences for the African Chapter. Your determination and resilience gave us motivation and appetite to grow the Chapter and showcase the African aquaculture trajectory. Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to express my profound gratitude to the host, the government of Tunisia and its associated agencies, specifically the National Institute of Marine Science and Technology INSTM. Special thanks go to the Conference Gold Sponsor, NUTRIFISH, and to Silver sponsors, GIZ, WISHH, US Grains, WorldFish, World Bank, and several WAS Premier sponsors. We equally thank our strategic partners which include The African Union, FAO, and Aller Aqua to mention a few. We appreciate the roles played by the Event organizers, Conference Steering Committee, National Organizing Committees, Session Sponsors and Chairs. Thank you very much for all the visible hard work and dedication in shaping and driving this event professionally. Let me also make special thanks to the WAS Regional Director for North Africa, Dr, Nevine Aboushabana (from Egypt), the regional membership at large; and to our very own WAS Member and Conference Chairperson: Dr. Nadia Cherif — you are indeed a beacon and champion of aquaculture development in Tunisia! Thank you for all the leadership, hard work, and coordination on many fronts! In closing, ladies and gentlemen, with strategic networking events like this, let me assure you that the WAS will continue to do the best it can to deliver societal benefits and play an important role in the progressive development of aquaculture in Africa by meeting the increased continental demand not only for aquatic blue foods, but also for science-based information and technology. The next World Aquaculture event is now scheduled for Uganda in June 2025. I hope to meet many of you there again. — Foluke O. Areola, President African Chapter
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