-Egyptian Delegation Head Discloses
Egyptian Delegation along with NaFAA’s Department of Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Team standing before Lake Piso in Grand Cape Mount
Gbarnga City, Bong County-Egyptian Aquaculture Experts have completed their assessment of Aquaculture facilities in Grannd Cape Mount, Bomi, Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, and Nimba Counties with the head of the delegation disclosing that Liberia has enormous resources to develop into an aquaculture nation. Speaking to Journalists in Foya while assessing several dams, Dr. Ahmed Saneyeldin Mohammed Sadek further disclosed that Liberia has natural water bodies and soil for commercial aquaculture production.
Dr. Ahmed Sadek said Liberia has good water quality and climatic conditions that enable year-round aquaculture production as compared to Egypt which has harsh weather conditions that contribute to the country losing huge tons of fish during the cold and hot seasons, although Egypt is among the top aquaculture producing countries in the World, producing 1.6 million metric tons of farmed fish. “in Egypt, we lose between 10 to 15 percent of our fish production annually because of the cold waves during the winter and the hot waves in summer. For Liberia, the temperature is naturally good for aquaculture production”.
Moreover, commenting on how the Egyptian Government intends to enhance Liberia’s aquaculture development, Dr. Ahmed Sadek mentioned that they are prepared to transfer their technical knowledge to help transform and enhance aquaculture production across Liberia as it is currently in Egypt.
The head of the three-man Egyptian delegation from the Lake and Fish Resources Protection and Development Agency mentioned that his government is prepared to help Liberia benefit technically from its four decades of technical knowledge to increase aquaculture production through capacity building at all levels and ensure quality production across the country.
“We can transfer our knowledge, all that we have over the last four decades to raise aquaculture production, and capacity and ensure quality production from aquaculture across Liberia”
At the same time, He narrated that from quality aquaculture production, Liberia can fill in the protein resource gap for its citizens, create jobs in the sector, and also export the excess of fish production to other countries. Currently, Liberia is a net importer of fish products, importing around 90 thousand metric tons of fish annually, despite its extensive coastline and enormous biodiversity.
The three-man Egyptian Aquaculture delegation is headed by Dr. Ahmed Saneyeldin Mohammed Sadek, Head of the Central Department of Fish Resources Development of the Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Agency of Egypt.
Others on the delegation include Engineer Hany Mohammed Mabrouk Ibrahim, General Manager for Fish Resources of the Authority for Fish Resources Development, and Dr. Dawlat Ali Hassanin Mohamadin, Veterinarian of the Lake and Fish Resources Protection and Development Agency of Egypt.
Aquaculture activities in Egypt are practiced in different production systems including semi-intensive, intensive culture in ponds, and tanks, intensive production in cages, and traditional extensive production systems.
For his part, the Director of the Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Department of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority commended the government and people of Egypt on behalf of the top Management of NaFAA for its timely reaction following the signing of a Mou on Technical Cooperation in 2024.
Mr. Zizi Kpadeh mentioned that the Egyptian government’s fast response has shown their readiness to enhance Liberia’s Aquaculture capacity as clearly stated in the recent MoU entered into in 2024.
The Egyptian Agriculture Experts were led on a seven-day tour and assessment of potential Aquaculture facilities by a team of Liberian Aquaculture Technicians headed by the Director of Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries, Mr. Zizi A.S. Kpadeh.
They specifically toured and assessed potential aquaculture facilities in Montserrado County including the Sustainable Fish Farming Enterprise, and Feed Liberia Agro Initiative. In Bomi County they toured and assessed, the Clay Hatchery, and in Grand Cape Mount County they toured the Lake Piso River.
In Margibi County they were taken through the Bong Mines Reservoirs and a newly constructed farm known as Teekay Farm in Konola. They traveled to Bong County where they toured and assessed the aquaculture facilities at the Central Agriculture Research and Institute, CARI, and the Kpatawee Waterfall. In Lofa County, the team traveled to Foya City and visited the Gbedin and Foyah Lowlands where potential aquaculture and rice farming activities are active during the rainy season.
Finally, the Liberian and Egyptian team toured the Gbandi Aquaculture and Rice farming facilities in Nimba County near Guinea.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Aquaculture team collected water samples from all the rivers, fish ponds, rivers, and lakes they assessed during their tour of Grannd Cape Mount, Bomi, Montserrado, Lofa, and Nimba Counties.
