Marine capacity building in North and West Africa

The North and West African coastal and marine areas discussed in this paper consist of the countries from Morocco to Libya for North Africa, and from Morocco to South Africa (up to the Cape of Good Hope) in West Africa. These marine areas consist of a wide to narrow continental shelf, estuaries, lagoons, coastal plains, isolated mountains, mangroves and wetlands. These areas are centres of productive socio-economic activities with a high population density, vast fisheries, and mineral resources. Presently, these resources are exploited with little attention for the environmental consequences. Sustainable management of the marine environment and its resources requires effective management plans and a human capacity to formulate, implement and monitor these plans. However, most of the countries still lack funds, human and infrastructural capacity for the management of their marine territories and its resources. Though there are many universities, research institutes and private organisations with a modest infrastructure for both data and information handling and the management of the marine environment, the region still lags behind in human and infrastructural capacity. Existing capacity development programmes by United Nations agencies, governments, universities, nongovernmental agencies, have so far not been very effective. A vigorous marine capacity building effort is needed to ensure the sustainable management of the marine environment in this African region. Externally funded programmes with a focus ensuring technology cooperation are needed. Such programmes must be based on mutual co-operation and participation of scientists and administrators from the region at all levels of programme formulation, implementation and assessment.