Workshop on the Cape Verde field mission

As part of the “Resilient Tourism and Blue Economy Development in Cabo Verde Project” in Cape Verde, a workshop was held on October 16 and 17, 2024, following a field mission carried out in July 2024. Organized in a hybrid format, the workshop took place in Mindelo, on the premises of the Institute of the Sea (IMar), and in Praia, the capital. It brought together 58 participants and a dozen online, who discussed the measures needed to strengthen fisheries co-management and draw up a concrete action plan.

The July mission involved an initial diagnosis of fisheries co-management with the communities of Santo Antão, São Vicente, Sal and Santiago, together with an analysis of the legal framework. This work, which laid the foundations for the implementation of the Manual of conditions and prerequisites, was presented by the COFREPECHE team to guide discussions on the future action plan and prioritize the necessary revisions to the legal framework.

Representatives from the fishing communities of Santo Antão, São Vicente, Sal and Santiago, as well as institutions such as IMar, the National Environment Department (DNPA), FAO, the World Bank, NGOs and fishermen’s associations actively contributed to the discussions, helping to define the broad outlines of the action plan to be finalized by the COFREPECHE team.

Based on the satisfaction questionnaire sent out to participants, we can say that this workshop was a real success, both in terms of the content of the discussions and the high level of participation.

The development of the action plan is now scheduled for December 2024, with a validation workshop scheduled for late January 2025.