Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Elsayed Elkosayer, has pledged to provide support and cooperation to The Gambia in the field of aquaculture. The commitment was made during a meeting with Musa Drammeh, The Gambia’s Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, in Cairo.
Elkosayer highlighted Egypt’s recent success in aquaculture, stating, “Egypt has come close to achieving self-sufficiency in fish, in addition to exporting the surplus of some types of fish that Egypt is distinguished in producing.” He further emphasized Egypt’s leading position in African aquaculture and its global ranking as the sixth-largest producer.
The Egyptian minister outlined potential areas of collaboration, including training and knowledge transfer, technology sharing, fish farming techniques, establishment of hatcheries, and fish health management. He directed the preparation of a memorandum of understanding to formalize the proposed areas of cooperation and expedite implementation.
Drammeh expressed his appreciation for Egypt’s willingness to support The Gambia’s efforts to develop its fish wealth resources. He specifically expressed interest in intensifying cooperation in marine fish cages and training, including the deployment of Egyptian experts to The Gambia.
Hussein Farhat, Executive Director of Egypt’s Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Agency, reiterated Egypt’s commitment to support The Gambia and outlined the agency’s readiness to provide training, expertise, and support in various aspects of aquaculture, including marine cages.
The meeting was also attended by Saad Moussa, Supervisor of Foreign Agricultural Relations in Egypt, and Ambassador Omar Gibril, the Gambian Ambassador in Cairo.
