By Asma Mohamud - Reporter
DJIBOUTI (Dawan Africa) Djibouti hosted a regional meeting to prepare the second phase of the SFISH project, a World Bank-backed initiative aimed at strengthening sustainable fisheries management and protecting marine resources in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The meeting, organized by Djibouti’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, brought together representatives from member states of the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Yemen, alongside technical experts and World Bank officials.
Dini Abdallah, Secretary-General at Djibouti’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, called for stronger regional cooperation, warning that the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden face increasing pressure from overfishing, climate change, pollution and unsustainable fishing practices.
The second phase of the SFISH project is expected to focus on financing fisheries management, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and protecting sensitive marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass habitats.
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The SFISH programme, formally known as the Program on Sustainable Fishery Development in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, aims to strengthen regional cooperation, increase fish production and improve fisheries value chains across countries bordering the two waterways.
World Bank documents show the programme was designed as a multi-phase initiative, with the first phase approved in June 2022 and scheduled to close in July 2026.
The first phase received $45 million in financing from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), implemented through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and PERSGA. Yemen accounted for $41.15 million of the funding, while the regional Middle East and North Africa component received $3.85 million.
Organizers said the second phase would build on lessons from the initial stage, particularly in scientific data collection, institutional capacity building, marine environmental protection and support for coastal communities dependent on artisanal fishing.