News and Events

Coastal Communities to Benefit USD 2.2M From UNIDO Project

• April 28th, 2025
• Modou Kanteh. Communications

The Gambia Government through the Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources has secured a project from United Nation Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to strengthen the capacity of coastal Communities on climate change through capacity building.

The project dubbed GEF 6 Fisheries CCA Project is expected to benefit over 10,000 people who are involved in the fishing sector either directly or indirectly. Out of these number, 40 percent are females. The project will enhance the capacities of beneficiaries on climate change through capacity building for Small Scale Enterprises and Communities Dependent on Coastal Fisheries in the Gambia. According to officials the project also seeks to increase adaptive capacities and climate change resilience of coastal fisheries and dependent populations by addressing the Gambian fisheries post-harvest sector. This will be achieved by promoting adaptation-oriented innovation, encouraging investment, improving post-harvest management practices, technologies and services to artisanal fisheries value chain.

Climate change is already impacting the fishery sector of The Gambia and its effects and severity is expected to rise with the increase in temperature expected to happen in future. With fish being one of main protein sources in The Gambia, impacts on its availability affects the food security of the country, especially the most vulnerable ones. The fish post-catch handling, storage and processing activities undertaken by artisanal fishing communities within the fishery sector, that are not adapted to climate change impacts. They are the ones expected to be most affected by the impacts of climate change, as they are the most vulnerable with less adaptive capacity.

Thus, there is a need to adapt the sector activities to the impacts already being felt and practices or technologies that are environmentally friendly and reduce impact on the environment, including reduction of fish processing waste.

The two years GEF 6 Fisheries CCA Project addresses the barriers identified with various segments of the fisheries value chain, which if not adequately supported hamper the identification of relevant policy responses and climate-technology solutions. Studies on the value chain of small pelagic fishers are needed to address issues related to fluctuations in the total landings of the main small pelagic fish species.