The Republic of Sierra Leone has committed to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and implement the FiTI Standard!
The Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Princess Dugba, conveyed this commitment via an official letter to the Chair of the FiTI International Board, Dr. Valeria Merino, on September 20th, 2024.
In her letter Minister Dugba emphasised that Sierra Leone understands the critical importance of making fisheries data and information publicly accessible, thereby improving decision-making processes and enhancing the trust of stakeholders including investors, fishing vessel operations, the private sector and local and international partners. “I am committed to working collaboratively with FiTI to enhance transparency in the fisheries sector and ensure that fisheries activities within our jurisdiction are conducted in a manner that is socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable,” the Hon. Minister wrote.
During a recent country mission of the FiTI International Secretariat, government, civil society and private sector stakeholders embraced the envisioned roadmap to enhance fisheries transparency and pledged their support for the successful implementation of the FiTI in Sierra Leone.
With today’s commitment, Sierra Leone joins a global movement to mainstream public access to fisheries management information.