ANGOLA – A fishing centre recently constructed in the municipality of Nzeto, Angola and financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), has reportedly exported 48 tonnes of fish to the democratic republic of Congo (DRC).
The centre has areas for landing, cleaning, processing and packing of fish under appropriate hygienic conditions, with a capacity of over 50 processors, an ice factory, two medium size refrigerators and a boat repair shop.
The Angolan AfDB representative, Pietro Toigo, visited the fishing centre and announced that the centre’s results were positive as the successful exportation to neighbouring countries plays a role in diversifying the country’s economy and helps create competitiveness.
Pietro Toigo explained that the centre will have a part in propelling and adding value to the nation’s fishing sector seeing as it has so far helped improve the productive capacities of the fishermen in the municipality of Nzeto.
He said, “We really enjoyed visiting the enterprise. Clearly, from what we saw, it is a very important fishing centre, for its contribution to industrialization adds value to the local fisheries sector, as it is improving processing conditions and production capacity of the fishermen.”
The president of the Fishermen’s Association of Nzeto, Simão Ambrósio, on the other hand, called for the improvement of infrastructure at the fishing centre, such as the construction of a pier bridge to further improve its fishing operations.
He insisted that the municipality has the potential to contribute more to the country’s fishing industry.
In response, the municipal administrator of Nzeto, Augusto Tiago, assured stakeholders that the improvement of fishing infrastructure in the region is a solution the government will implement soon. He also said that he recognises that fishing plays a crucial role in Nzeto’s local economy.
“There are very advanced contacts with the bodies that oversee fisheries in the country and we are guaranteed that, sooner or later, we will be able to have the pier.
As for the centre itself, it is a great asset, since fishing is the engine of the economy here in Nzeto. So, any device that comes to help this sector will always be well received,” said Mr Tiago.
Expansion of the National Institute of Fisheries and Marine Research
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources has announced the prioritisation of the expansion of infrastructure and acquisition of equipment for the National Institute of Fisheries and Marine Research (INIPM).
INIPM is an institute in charge of producing technical and scientific reports and surveys about Angola’s aquatic biological resources as well as the marine ecosystems and continental waters.
Carmen Neto, Fishing and Marine Resources minister, announced that the ministry is working towards constructing a new building and expanding marine research infrastructures for INIPM, to improve the working conditions of the professionals in the institute.
Mrs Neto acknowledged the existence of a considerable increase in demand for INIP’s services, a fact that obliges the ministry to work towards expanding workspaces and providing the institution with new technological means.
The director of INIPM, Filomena Vaz Velho, additionally explained the need to employ 30 new professionals to cater for the growing demand for the institute’s services.
She also noted that in addition to the need for rehabilitation and expansion of work areas, the institute also needs a new automated biotoxin laboratory, to decongest the current manual equipment.
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