The announcement of the integration of the fishing industry in the ITIE processes (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative) was the high point of the International High Level Conference on Transparency and Sustainable Development in Africa.
Held in Nouakchott the 19th and 20th of January 2014, under the patronage of Mohamed Abdel Aziz, the sitting president of the African Union, this meeting marks a major turning point for the fishing industry and its present socioeconomic importance abroad.
“This is a potential sector for a country that houses one of the richest fishing coastlines in the world. It is, however, paradoxical that fishing is only a tiny share of the GDP,” declared the Mauritanian Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, Sidi Ould, Tah, to Financial Afrik.
The commitment of Mauritania, made by the President of the Republic in person on the 19th of January at the opening speech of the forum is a “strong signal” of the opinion of Professor Peter Eigan, the founding chairman of Transparency Advisory Board International. “Africa is extremely rich, but its resources are not well managed. As a member of Transparency International and of the African Progress Panel (N.b. a think tank chaired by the form Secretary General of the UN, Koffi Annan), we consider the initiative for transparency not only a matter for the leadership. Civil society and all stakeholders must be committed so that companies report what they pay and governments what they receive.”
The conference, which led to the declaration made in Nouakchott, was an opportunity for panelists to review the progress of the ITIE initiative on the continent. Now with 34 African countries adhering to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, of which 17 have completed the self-evaluation phase, Africa has achieved remarkable progress. “The fiscal tax rate compared to the GDP has increased from 9% fifteen years ago to 17.5% today,” declared Vera Songwe, regional director of the World Bank, based in Dakar. “However, it is a step that should not make us forget that between 20 and 40 billion dollars evaporates in the form of illicit cash flows and that only 32% of the continent has access to electricity, » continued the representative of the World Bank, who welcomes the decision of Mauritania to include the fishing industry in the ITIE process.
This commitment to transparency is a signal for African member countries of the Fisheries Commission based in Dakar. As a reminder, this is a commission of 20-25 African countries that are concerned with protecting fishery resources, preventing their exploitation and ensuring their healthy recovery. Awaiting a real fishing OPEC, the declaration of Nouakchott will serve as a metronome for the fundamental issue of transparency in the management of fishery resources in Africa.