On day three of his Ministerial tour, the Chief Minister JJ Saffa yesterday met with the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources at Youyi Building.
Explaining his role as Chief Minister, JJ Saffa noted that his cardinal function is more of a facilitator and enhancer rather than a supervisor of Ministries to help them deliver on their sector plans and annual work programs.
Chief Minister Saffa requested from the Ministry a time line on the delivery of the Ministryโs work program which he said will be on the automated dashboard that will soon be launched.
JJ Saffa urged the Minister and team to develop a PPP model for managing the proposed fish harbor when completed and requested a detailed report on the delivery chain for what it takes for a fish to reach out to the market from the high sea.
Chief Minister Saffa also challenged the Minister and team to develop an Artisanal Fish Policy in the next few months to address concerns in that sector.
โFish must be available at all times and at affordable price under the New Direction and as a Ministry you should be able to investigate what could be done to stabilize the price of fish within…There is every need for a market study on intra district fish tradeโ he concluded.
In her statement, the Minister of Fisheries, Hon Emma Kowa Jalloh intimated the Chief Minister of the challenges the Ministry is facing especially with international fish certification process, the fish industry emanating from high level smuggling to offshore fish selling.
