The Chief Representative of JICA, Masato Koinuma, met with National Fisheries Authority Acting Managing Director, Justin Ilakini yesterday morning (05th May) to renew the fisheries bilateral relationship and discuss future developments.
Papua New Guinea through the NFA and the Government of Japan through JICA and OFCF have established a strong fisheries diplomacy since 2006 after the resigning of the Fishing Access Agreements between NFA and the Japanese Far Seas Purse Seiners Association (Kaimaki).
After the re-signing of the Fishing Access Agreement in 2006, it paved way for the Japanese purse seine fishing fleet to again access the PNG EEZ to fish. In granting this access to PNG waters the Government of Japan agreed to implement numerous programs and projects in the country through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation (OFCF).
Prior to that, National Fisheries College (NFC) through PNG NFA was the first recipient of the Overseas Development Assistance from Japan in 1974 to setup the college that will be training students specifically for the Pole and Line fishery that was, at that time operating out of New Ireland Province.
During this courtesy call, both parties renewed and affirmed their commitments to each other in the fisheries sector on the Bilateral Fishing Access, Fisheries Infrastructure Development, Community-Based Projects, Fisheries Institutional Capacity Building & Training and so as future prospects of cooperation in the sector.
The NFA and JICA have co-funded major town markets in the country such as Wewak, Madang and Alotau under the flagship of Rehabilitation of Town Markets & amp; Fisheries Facilities Program. The Parties intend to continue this program to other provinces to create a conduit to promote food security, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and employment.
Furthermore, a new prospect of future development was discussed with the concept of Coastal Fisheries Hub Development. Manus has been identified as one of the most suitable Province to host the concept. NFA will commence planning and conceptualizing the coastal fisheries hub after the Development of the NFC Waterfront Redevelopment.
The Concept of Coastal Fisheries is hugely supported by JICA and OFCF through NFA to ensure basic fisheries infrastructures such as cold storage, ice making plants, jetties, fishing gears and workshops are established in respective provinces or districts to support the fisher-folks through the Fisheries Cooperatives Associations.
The parties acknowledged the mutual and strong relationship and further affirm of their engagement in institutional capacity building and training which National Fisheries College Redevelopment sets as the vehicle on this commitment.