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Zambia and the United Kingdom are exploring ways to strengthen cooperation in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture through scientific research, innovation and institutional capacity building.
Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Permanent Secretary, Max Choombe, said international partnerships were critical to strengthening the sector’s productivity, resilience and long-term sustainability.
Choombe said this when he received a delegation from the United Kingdom’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), led by Senior Research Microbiologist Athina Papadopoulou, during a courtesy call at the ministry headquarters in Lusaka.
He said fisheries and aquaculture remained important to Zambia’s food and nutrition security, employment creation, livelihoods and economic growth.
“The sector continues to face challenges associated with climate change, environmental pressures and the need for stronger resource management systems,” Choombe said.
He said partnerships such as the Bio-resistance Intelligence and Data Generation (BRIDGe) Project presented opportunities for Zambia to strengthen research, exchange technical expertise and build institutional capacity.
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Choombe said Government remained committed to strategic partnerships that supported the objectives of the Eighth National Development Plan and the Grow Zambia Agenda, particularly in enhancing productivity, resilience and the sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
“Continued engagements will identify areas of mutual interest and deepen cooperation between Zambia and the United Kingdom,” he said.
Meanwhile, Papadopoulou said the two-year UK-led BRIDGe Project aimed to strengthen Zambia’s capacity to detect, understand and respond to antimicrobial resistance threats through improved surveillance, laboratory capacity, data analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
She said the initiative brought together five specialised UK agencies: Cefas, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the UK Health Security Agency and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
“The project focuses on strengthening One Health approaches by improving the generation and use of intelligence on antimicrobial resistance across human, animal and environmental health sectors,” Papadopoulou said.
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