The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to breaking down financial and market barriers constraining women and youth in the fisheries and aquaculture sector to maximise gains from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mrs. Fatima Mahmood, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the AfCFTA–ECOWAS Regional Workshop on Women and Youth in Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains.
Represented by the Director, Marine Abiotic Resources, Mrs. Angela Okereke,she described the sector as pivotal to food security, employment generation and economic diversification across Africa.
She noted that women and youth remain central to activities across the value chain, from production to processing, distribution and marketing, with women playing dominant roles in post-harvest operations and youth driving innovation and expansion.
However, she observed that their contributions are undermined by persistent structural constraints such as poor access to finance, inadequate infrastructure, high post-harvest losses, limited market access and weak participation in formal trade systems.
According to her, addressing these gaps is critical to unlocking the sector’s full potential under the AfCFTA framework.
Mahmood reaffirmed government’s resolve to reposition the fisheries sector through sustainable production, enhanced value addition, improved regulatory frameworks and expanded access to domestic and regional markets.
According to a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson, Mrs Anastasia Ogbonna, she further stressed the importance of harmonising standards, strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary measures, improving trade facilitation and leveraging digital technologies to deepen regional integration.
Also speaking, Director of Business Competitiveness at TradeMark Africa, Anataria Uwamariya, disclosed that a forthcoming initiative is expected to create over 280,000 jobs for women and youth across Africa’s fisheries value chain, with West Africa projected to account for more than half of the jobs.
She explained that the programme is designed to boost intra-African trade by increasing participation in fish trade, improving access to inputs such as fish feed, enhancing cross-border trading conditions and strengthening institutional capacity.
In her remarks, representative of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Florence Mulenga-Sinyangwe, said efforts are ongoing to dismantle trade barriers including high tariffs, certification bottlenecks and financing gaps that limit inclusive participation.
She added that the AfCFTA has entered the implementation phase, with a strong emphasis on reducing trade costs and promoting inclusivity through its Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS Commission representative, Christopher Yawson, highlighted the demographic importance of women and youth in West Africa, noting that women make up nearly half of the population, with a median age of 18.2.
He called for greater formalisation of the fisheries sector to unlock access to finance and attract increased investment.
