The Fisheries and Aquaculture resources of Africa provide essential benefits to over 10 million people, most of whom are rural poor. These benefits include food security, improved nutrition, and enhanced livelihoods. However, they are currently under severe threat due to weak and uncoordinated institutions, as well as ineffective fisheries governance and policies. Poor governance has led to the over-exploitation of commercially important fish stocks, limiting resource sustainability and reducing the sector’s contribution to food security, poverty alleviation, and wealth creation. Despite its high potential and current rapid growth in Africa, Aquaculture is still faced with numerous challenges that needs to be address or mitigated in order for it to play effective role in filling the gap in supply from capture fisheries.
African Union Recognized the urgent need for reform in Fisheries and Aquaculture sector and and went ahead to make various high-level political declarations and commitments to restoring fisheries to their maximum sustainable yields and sustainably develop Aquaculture sub-sector. Some of these commitments includes but not limited to the one made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2015, the Abuja Declarations of African Heads of Government at the Fish for All Summit in 2014, and resolutions from the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA). These continental initiatives have led to the development of the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS) and the establishment of the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM) as its delivery mechanism. The PFRS serves as a blueprint for facilitating sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture development in Africa.