Wednesday, August 2, 2017

03/08/2017: Aquaculture without Frontiers

by Janice Spencer, Chief Financial Officer, Aquaculture without Frontiers

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the World Aquaculture Society members for all their hard efforts, time and promotion, in making this, the very first World Aquaculture Society event to be held in Cape Town, Africa in June of this year, such a rip roaring success

 
Janice Spencer
Image credit: Aquaculture without Frontiers
The Aquaculture without Frontiers team were so pleased to be able to attend and have a stand at the event. Guests were provided to a plethora of Aquaculture stands, with information and technology second to none.

There were some excellent posters supplied by students that provided information for those attending, plus seminars and side shows. The President of Guinea, Professor Alpha Conde and now President of the African Union, who is keen to promote aquaculture in Africa, was also due to attend and lend his support, and give and address to the audience, but unfortunately at the last moment was not able to attend.

Such was the importance of this event that Dr Ibriam Mayaki the Chief Executive of NEPAD, (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) the lead agency of the African Union gave an excellent opening speech, and NEPAD were highly visible with a large stand at the event. The event itself was held at the prestigious International Convention Centre held at the Waterfront in Cape Town, and until the very last few days looked like the attendance was going to be lower than hoped.

Then on the first two days hundreds of people filed in and registered for the event, eventually making the total of attendance in the region of some 2,000 people, of which 1,300 of those were Africans, who had travelled from many of the 55 African Nations to visit the event. It can take roughly eight hours to fly over the great continent of Africa, so one can imagine how far some of these African visitors had travelled in order to attend.

Such was the enthusiasm of these visitors that we were inundated on the AwF stand with requests for help and information. We found that many of our visitors were from the volunteer sector too, and asked that they be put on a list to be contacted as soon as AwF projects were up and running.

Part of our mandate at AwF is to help smallholder fish farmers in any way possible whether it be to provide good quality feed, fish stocks or just provide advice and help on establishing a way a forward, like setting up ponds and similar activities. Fish is one of the most nutritious foods in the world, and many Africans are without that vital nutrition at critical times in their lives, thereby leading to illness and the inability to reach certain critical growth stages for young children.


Read the full column, HERE.

The Aquaculturists
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