Dr Guy Iréné Mimbang, Director of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Fishery Industries at MINEPIA.

What is the situation of the fishing sector in Cameroon at the moment when government is stressing on limiting importation?

The fishing sector in Cameroon is basically producing local fish that is being consumed by our population. We have industrial fishing that is being developed in Cameroonian waters on the coast and artisanal fishing in the maritime regions as well as in the continental water bodies. In the continental water bodies, we are very lucky to have dams where fishing activities are being developed. We have Lom Pangar in the East Region, Memve’ ele and Mekim in the South, Mbakaou in Adamawa, Mape in West, Maga in the Far North and another in the North. All of these constitute the fishing potentials. But besides these, we have aquaculture which is being developed now in a very good rate. We have a lot of Cameroonians who are involving in this sector. All these segment are producing fish that is being consumed locally by our population. But unfortunately, this production does not meet the needs of the population that is why we continue to import fishing products into the country. But what we have noticed is that the quantity of the fish we are importing is dropping year after year, which is very important for us as far as the global policy of importsubstitution is concerned.

We are producing roughly 300,000 metric tons. The artisanal fishing is producing almost 90 per cent of this quantity. The Industrial fishing represents just about 5 per cent of the production while aquaculture is also about 5 per cent. Aquaculture amounts to about 10,000 metric tons but we think that if we want to increase the production, we have to work hard in promoting aquaculture.

Talking about promoting local production, what is the government doing to boost production?

Government has an objective to produce more and we are trying to involve Cameroonians in fishing activities especially in areas like in the South West Region where there are many foreign artisanal fishermen. The government through the BADEP (Bakassi Development Programme) has put at the disposal some fishing materials and fishing equipment to some artisanal Cameroonian fishermen who are installing in the area which is very rich in fishing products. At Isengele, the government has built 60 houses to host those artisanal fishermen that are being installed in the area. The government is also supporting other fishermen in the continental areas (Dams) where we are giving them fishing materials to make them more effective in the fishing activities. The government is supporting them through various projects like LIFIDEP in the North West Region which is also trying to help artisanal fishermen and aquaculture producers. We are thinking that doing so, we are going to increase the production in a sufficient way. The LIFIDEP project for instance is installing producers at the level of Lake Mbambalang where the project is promoting aquaculture in cages. They have producers that are already doing it. To make fingerlings available at the level of producers, they are acquiring fingerlings and feed and put them at the disposal of producers. We think that the actions of government will be more effective if we have a lot of private investment coming into the sector. The main problem in the sector is that there are not many investors in the aquaculture sector. That is why the government through the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, last year launched an appeal for private operators to get involved in aquaculture. We were lucky to have more than 100 persons willing to invest in aquaculture and some have already started with their different projects on the field. What we are doing now is to facilitate the installation of these producers. That is why the Prime Minister has given the greenlight to the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries to create an inter-ministerial committee to follow up the activities of these producers who are involving in aquaculture production. We think that by doing so, we are going to effectively increase the global production. Setting up a fish farm requires equipment that is why in the 2021 State budget, the government has provided tax exemptions on the importation of different equipment being used in aquaculture. Many producers have taken advantage of these incentives and have imported equipment to start their own farms, materials to produce fish feed locally because feed is also imported. So, we are seeing how the sector is moving and we are sure to have positive results in the near future.

What about training of fishermen?

In terms of training, the government is training fishermen through many other projects. We have the AFOP project which is training young Cameroonians in fishing activities. There are many training centres across the country. We have a centre in Bonamatoumbe in Douala, Debunscha, Limbe, Lonji, Kribi, Maga in the Far North and Belabo in the East. All of these centres are training young Cameroonians who at the end of the training receive engine boats and other fishing equipment to start their own production. From the reports we have received from the field, they are doing well. We equally have another project that is starting now known as PDCVEP (Projet de développement de chaîne de valeur d‘élevage et de la pisciculture) which is also training fishermen in aquaculture techniques, cage culture and management of farms etc. We think that many producers can benefit from this training.

Apart from material donations, tax exemption are there financial incentives given to producers?

We have another project that which is PPEA (Project de promotion de l’entrepreneuriat aquacole) with PEA-JEUNE put at the disposal of producers a financial line to fund their business plans. Still in PDCVEP, there is a budget line of about FCFA 2 bil...