On January 20 and 21, 2024, 100 young people were trained in above-ground fish farming as part of the presidential initiative. This first in a series of training courses took place at the National Agricultural Training School (ENAFA) in Matourkou/Bobo-Dioulasso. The launching ceremony took place on January 20.
This training is part of component 4 (Agricultural production) of the presidential initiative. Every year, Burkina Faso spends several billion FCFA to import fish. This is why it was decided to boost fish production to minimize these costs and create jobs and income for thousands of young people. With this in mind, 13,000 mobile fish cages will be set up in 2024 in the 13 regions of the country to produce more than one million tonnes of fish during the 2024-2025 campaign. Hence the organization of this training session for 100 young people in partnership with the agricultural company NAFASO which has a fish farm where it develops fry.
During this training, participants will be entitled to several modules on two components: above-ground fish farming, financial management. With regard to above-ground fish farming, there are notably the Pond Design and Layout modules; Water and quality management; Choice of species and reproduction; Food and nutrition. The financial management component of a fish production unit concerns the sale of finished products; simplified accounting (recording of transactions); Simplified financial management (making rational, efficient and effective decisions to maximize profit). In addition to this, it is planned to go into the field to visit the NAFASO fish farm in Kiri to allow participants to already see in practice what awaits them.
According to Aristide Bako, agroeconomist and trainer, “by combining all these modules, they (the participants: editor’s note) will be able to correctly set up their microenterprises but also, subsequently, make their activity profitable.” The participants in this training “are pilot trainers who will help train other people so that we can occupy all the areas where terrorism has caused many internally displaced people. This is why we use mobile cages so that if an internally displaced person wants to move, he can move with his cage,” explains Dr Abdourasmane Kadougoudiou Konaté, special advisor to the President of Faso, responsible for agricultural and agricultural issues. ‘food self-sufficiency. For their installation, these young people will be supported with production equipment, including cages, fry and food, at subsidized prices.
Alongside this project, “the agricultural offensive will soon install floating cages. In this context, 21,000 cages are planned to boost fish production, adds Dr Abdourasmane Kadougoudiou Konaté.
Aly Konate
alykonat@yahoo.fr