by Edward Mishaud

28 May 2003

Toliara, Madagascar: For fishermen along the southern coast of Madagascar, increasing their catch to earn a better living for their families has understandably been their top priority.

But through the efforts of United Nations Volunteer Bengaly Kouyaté, a fisheries specialist attached to the World Food Programme (WFP), fishermen in the region have coupled their desire for a greater catch with new techniques to respect pro-conservation fishing regulations.

One of the most significant changes was the introduction of a new net to fishermen in the communities of Toliara and Tolagnaro. Since 1990, the fishermen have used mosquito nets to catch fish. The nets, which are used in many African countries to protect sleeping areas from malaria-carrying insects, are not intended for fishing, as they trap all sea life. The new net allows the fishermen to continue their activities without unnecessarily harming other ocean creatures.

Bengaly, a native of Guinea, was able to achieve this through an intensive education and sensitization programme on sustainable fishing techniques. As part of his work through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) initiative, he also instructed the fishermen on properly preserving their catch though freezing, smoking and salting methods.

In addition to introducing new fishing technologies, he works with local women to increase their involvement in the community. One of his activities involves training the wives of fishermen to properly record fish stocks enabling them to take an increased role in the home and community.

His latest effort involves educating school children on conserving and protecting the environment.

"Sensitizing the younger generation, the children of the community, is so important because most of them, especially the boys, will soon leave school to help their families with fishing," says Bengaly. "This is very important as they are the next generation of fishermen."

Working with a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), he helps to increase their governing capacity, heighten the participation of women in decision-making, and manage projects and funds more effectively and efficiently. All of these initiatives are tied to eliminating extreme poverty in the communities. In January, for instance, he trained 10 NGOs on proper project proposal writing and marketing techniques.

Bengaly has also held a number of trainer workshops in which participants sought to improve their leadership and management skills. Teaming up with unions in the community, he helped these associations to improve their ability to represent the needs of their members.

All of these efforts, he says, are designed to promote economic independence, sustainable livelihoods, and positive behaviour change. He encourages everyone in the community to take an active part in improving the socio-economic conditions of the village.

"This region is extremely poor and there's a strong individualistic spirit in the people. What we're trying to do, get volunteers to combat poverty at the village level, has never been done before in this region… it's a new concept to the people," he says. "But the people have accepted this idea and everyone is adapting, from the fishermen to the NGOs."

TICAD was launched in 1993 through the joint effort of the Government of Japan, the United Nations and the Global Coalition for Africa. The World Bank joined the TICAD co-organizers in 2000. The primary functions of TICAD are: promotion of high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and their partners, and mobilization of support for Africa's own development efforts.