Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance

This policy note from the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the challenges and progress in African fisheries governance, focusing on the tension between economic development, environmental sustainability, and social justice. It analyzes the roles of small-scale and industrial fisheries, the impact of illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and the transition toward co-management systems to address the limitations of centralized governance.

• African fisheries are critical for food security and livelihoods, supporting up to 10 million people and providing the primary protein source for approximately 200 million Africans, with gross annual revenues nearing $5 billion.
• The small-scale fisheries sector is the dominant force in African fishing, employing over 95% of fishers and providing more than 90% of the continent's fish consumption.
• Small-scale fisheries are not exempt from sustainability issues; the adoption of motorised boats, nylon nets, and longlines, combined with population growth, has led to overcapacity and overfishing, particularly in near-shore coastal waters and freshwater systems.
• There is a policy conflict between a 'rights-based approach' focused on efficiency and wealth generation through quotas, and a 'welfare function' approach that prioritizes the sector's ability to absorb labour and provide a safety net for vulnerable households.
• Centralized governance has proven ineffective due to limited resources and the vast scale of coastlines; consequently, many states have moved toward co-management via fishers committees, such as 'beach management units' (BMUs) in Uganda and Tanzania, and 'community fisheries councils' (CCPs) in Mozambique.
• Co-management systems face significant hurdles, including corruption, the co-option of committees by influential traders, political interference during elections, and the failure of central authorities to remit permit fees to local councils.
• Illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing causes massive economic losses, with West Africa losing approximately $1.3 billion annually. Efforts to combat this include satellite-based vessel-monitoring systems and regional coordination through the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission.
• Specific national successes in combating illegal fishing include Senegal revoking 29 trawler permits in 2012 and Sierra Leone's use of GPS-enabled cameras and mobile phones by small-scale fishers to report industrial trawlers.

APA

Benkenstein, A. (2014). Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Note-3.pdf

Chicago

Benkenstein, Alex. Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Note-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benkenstein |first1=Alex |title=Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=April 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Note-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benkenstein2014development, author = {Benkenstein, Alex}, title = {{Development, Sustainability and Social Justice: The Elusive Balancing Act of African Fisheries Governance}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Policy-Note-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }