The economic crisis in Angola, caused by the fall in the price of oil, drove the need to increase and diversify local non-oil production and to increase exports.
In 2016, the Technical Assistance Project of Institutional Support, with the support of the Ministry of Commerce (ACOM, sponsored by EU) identified three priority fishery production sectors for increasing exports; one of which was extractive fishing.
Angola has a coastline of about 1,650km in length and rich fishing resources as a result of two systems of marine currents: the “Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem” (BCLME) and the “Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem” (GCLME) whose interaction creates a favourable situation for marine life.
In this article, I will explore Angola’s developing fishery industry, focussing primarily on sea fishing and related activities, without neglecting aquaculture and continental fisheries.
Phase one of the plan to rejuvenate Angolan fishery involved organisation, data research and planning. ACOM communicated to all partners, particularly in the fisheries sector, of the gal to strengthen this industry within the area specified.
Phase two of the plan involved contacting partners in Angola and validating their data; a final workshop also allowed the consultants to discuss proposals with the beneficiaries. Field mission in the provinces of Kwanza Sul, Benguela and Namibe allowed the team of consultants to better understand the reality of the Angolan industrial and artisanal fishing sector in the coastal strip of these regions.
The provincial governments of Luanda, Benguela and Namibe were contacted as well as associations of fishermen from Luanda, Namibe and Benguela. Expert consultants also learned about the informal flow structure that dominates the domestic and regional pelagic fish markets. The preliminary results were presented to ACOM and Angolan partners (APIEX, as well as interested ministries) with a working meeting. The collected data proved very useful in the elaboration of the strategies proposed in the final part of the study.
Finally, requested documents were produced and received. These, plus the direct observation of the teams and the interviews carried out with the various officials, allowed us to produce some proposals for the Angolan fisheries sector.
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