The Intergovernmental Authority on Development opened a high-level consultation and validation meeting on the IGAD Fisheries Forum Agency (IFFA) and the Fisheries Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MSC CC) in the Ethiopian capital, as the bloc warns that 85 per cent of fish produced in its member states is wasted or poorly utilised.

Speaking at the opening, Daher Elmi, IGAD’s director of agriculture and environment, said the Horn of Africa produces 3.5 million tonnes of fish annually, yet most intra-regional trade remains informal and post-harvest losses reach 32-40 per cent, with fish among the most affected commodities. The untapped potential of the sector is valued at $1.1 bilion a year.

Elmi noted that the region’s fisheries face fragmented governance, underdeveloped value chains, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to finance and investment readiness, as well as environmental pressures and climate change. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, particularly in Somali waters, remains a serious concern.

The IFFA and MSC CC are part of IGAD’s EU-funded five-year corporate strategy aimed at strengthening coordination, regulation and sustainability in the fisheries sector.

Delegates at the meeting called for investment models that bridge financing gaps and support value chain development. Ethiopia’s state minister of agriculture, Fikru Regassa, said the country had finalised a 10-year aquaculture master plan, adding that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is set to become a hub for fish production.