The Minister of Livestock Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr Taiga presided over the launching ceremony of the Design Mission of the Aquaculture Entrepreneurship Development Support Program (AEDP) at the Djeuga Palace Yaoundé.
The mission’s main partner is the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) which intends to develop a new investment project worth 6 million US dollars.
AEDP is a new mission or the second phase for the development of aquaculture, under the leadership of MINEPIA. It is in prelude to P.P.E.A implemented from 2017 to 2019 which recorded remarkable results. The mission is aimed at developing a project which meets the needs of producers and responds to government’s policy to reduce the importation of fish and boost local production in a favourable environment. The new project’s main target are women and youths. It is expected to scale up the production of twenty five thousand ( 25.000 tons) of fish a year.
It is worth noting that the pilot project P.P.E.A ended in 2019 and was capable of producing ten thousand (10.000 tons) per year up from five thousand (5000) tons per year in 2019. The new program extends to other regions, the West, North, Far North, South, Center and Littoral regions respectively. Aspirations are geared towards producing twenty-five thousand (25000 tons) and fifty thousand (50.000 tons) in short and long terms respectively.
The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) is currently engaged in developing aquaculture across Africa. Cameroon has been identified as one of the countries with a high potential for aquaculture as it has many water bodies.
