South Africa: Pretoria institutionalizes the continental AFAData platform for fisheries and aquaculture

Sixteen participants, including thirteen national technical officers from South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, attended a training session in Cape Town from July 23 to 24, 2026, aimed at institutionalizing the African Fisheries and Aquaculture Data platform, AFAData, according to a press release from the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR). The workshop, funded by the European Union via the FishGov2 project (phase 2), also brought together the SADC Secretariat and AU-IBAR; it was opened by Hellen Guebama (AU-IBAR), Dr. Motseki Hlatshwayo (SADC), and Belemane Semoli, acting deputy director-general of fisheries management. AFAData, linked to AU-IBAR's ARIS system and accessible at afadata.au-ibar.org, is now operational. South Africa is among five countries -- alongside Madagascar, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda -- chosen to accelerate its rollout through practical training. "Quality data are now essential to shape effective public policies, guide investments, and measure sector performance," stated Hellen Guebama. A national account has been created, a focal point appointed, and South African fisheries and aquaculture data for 2024 fully entered. Belemane Semoli has appointed validators across three directions: marine resource management, fisheries research and development, aquaculture and economic development. This validation chain transforms AFAData into an effective reporting tool rather than a mere training exercise, and will feed into the biennial review process of the CAADP Kampala Declaration, launched in 2026. SADC participation links national practice to harmonized regional oversight. The operation illustrates a continental dynamic driven by the policy reform framework adopted by African ministers, combined with European funding and institutional capacities...