Secure Fisheries program had the honor of hosting the Chief of Staff to the President of Somalia, Mr. Ali Omar, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Saadiq Haji Ibrahim, at the One Earth Future Foundation offices in Colorado. They conveyed a message of congratulations from the President, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on the report, Securing Somali Fisheries, and its success in drawing attention to the severity of foreign fishing in Somali waters.
During their visit, they had a productive discussion with representatives of Secure Fisheries, Oceans Beyond Piracy, Shuraako, and the research branch of One Earth Future. Much of the discussion focused around the future needs of Somalia and how our organization can aid them in developing their Blue Economy.
There are opportunities for Secure Fisheries to work with the Somali Federal Government on strategies for sustainable development of the fisheries sector as they work to expand local fishing capacity and improve infrastructure, especially port and processing facilities. There is ample room for future collaboration in this effort and this meeting with the visiting dignitaries was the beginning of what we see as a strong relationship between Secure Fisheries and the Somali people.
