Seychelles becomes the 12th Member State to sign the Charter for the MCSCC
18 July 2023
The Republic of Seychelles becomes the 12th Member State to sign the Charter for the SADC Fisheries Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MCSCC). H.E. Mr. Jean-François Ferrari, the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy in Seychelles, signed Charter today, 14th of July 2023, in Mahe, Seychelles.
The Minister underscored the importance of fighting IUU fishing as a collective. He indicated that Seychelles is modernising and transforming its laws and policies and strengthening relationships with the relevant national, regional and international authorities and partners, hence it was important that Seychelles endorses and signs the SADC Charter establishing MCSCC.
On his part, Domingos Gove, Director of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR), on behalf of the Executive Secretary of SADC, H.E. Elias Mpedi Magosi, also recognised the importance of Seychelles’ role in the fisheries sector, at regional and international level, and indicated that with the signing of the Charter the MCSCC will move to another level in terms of actions.
Ms. Sheriffa Morel, Director-General of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Mr. Stanley Ndara, CEO of Namibian Fisheries Observer Agency and Chair of the Regional technical Team on MCSCC, and Mr. Isaias Mondlane, President of INAMAR, on behalf of H.E. Dr Lidia Cardoso, Minister of Seas, Inland Waters and Fisheries of Mozambique, gave remarks during the ceremony, which was also attended by officials from Seychelles Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue economy, SADC Secretariat and WWF Mozambique.
It is important to remember that the Charter came into force on the 8th of April 2023, and Seychelles follows in the steps of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.
The commitment of the Seychelles to regional cooperation on fisheries management and governance through the MCSCC is significant. It highlights the significant role that the fisheries sector play in terms of poverty eradication and food security in the region. The SADC region has a lot of key aquatic ecosystems (inland and marine) mostly shared between Member States, which require regional cooperation to fight challenges such as unsustainable fishing practices, unregulated cross-border trade and other associated illegal activities. The Regional MCSCC will provide a cost-effective mechanism to support operational cooperation, for all SADC’s fisheries.
