" Before, we were all working in small isolated groups with hardly any communication between us; none of us could ever have imagined all the advantages that exist in joining hands to work together "

These were the observations of the spokesman of the Cotonou Port fisheries community on 29^th January 2002. On this day, as many as 25 fish workers from about six different fisheries associations were gathered together at very short notice for a meeting. Men and women, old and young, fishermen, boat owners, fishmongers and processors all sat together and expressed themselves freely.

"Nobody seemed to care about the flagrant incursion of industrial trawlers into our zone; to make matters worse, they often destroyed our fishing nets, but what could we do?"

Furthermore, the fisherfolk had become disenchanted with the sporadic and inconsistent support provided in the past by development agencies, most of which never amounted to anything.

"They say they've come to help us, hang around us for a while, then disappear…" said an old fisherman "we needed more than that!"

Since February 2001 when the community project to strengthen their organisational and technical capacity was launched, things have really changed for the better.

"Our efforts to organise ourselves through the SFLP project has really paid off, and thanks to the series of training we've been receiving, we can get a lot of things done on our own"

An NGO was identified to advise and support the port fisherwolk at every stage of the activities they themselves opted for.

"We now know there is power in numbers– something like "the more the merrier". Not only have we become more professional, but our horizons have broadened, and we now consider ourselves a force to reckon with."

Today, the major preoccupation of the fisheries community is how to get the necessary support it requires to enforce the laws limiting industrial fishing zones. Obviously the first step to achieving this has been taken through this project to build up their capacity in organisational skills.

Change in attitude

Members are learning fast that personal responsibility and communication is highly essential in the teamwork they have come to value so greatly. Missing even one single meeting can set a member and his group back for weeks, and a badly communicated message can cause a lot of confusion. Women are encouraged to speak up, especially because of their small representation within the group. Disputes and accusations are not lackin g, but response to constructive criticism is very encouraging, while baseless ones are often quickly and summarily dealt with.
The community is very pleased with progress made so far, proudly showing off their office building which also houses a conference room and credit and loans counter.

Even as they look forward to continued support in implementing other development priorities identified, the Cotonou port fisheries community has today become an acceptable negotiating partner of the administration and fisheries sector.

For detailed information on project


Speaker: Etienne Dossou, Cotonou Port Management Committee Chairman Location: Cotonou Port Date: January 2002