Hydro-Electric dams to boost fish production in Cmr

The Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, MINEPIA, Dr. Taïga, has said the ongoing construction of the Lom Pangar, Mekin and Memve’ele Hydro-Electricity Power, HEP, dam projects, would enormously contribute to the production of fish in the country upon completion.

Dr. Taïga made the declaration in Yaounde on August 29, during a ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Mekin Hydro-Electric Development Corporation, Hydro-Mekin.

The protocol agreement borders on putting in place connected activities to the Mekin HEP project notably fishing, aquaculture and livestock rearing as defined in the Environmental and Social Management Plan.

The Minister recalled that on September 25, 2012, MINEPIA signed a similar agreement with the Electricity Development Corporation, EDC, charged with the construction of the Lom Pangar HEP dam and that August 29, 2014, was the turn of Hydro-Mekin.

Dr. Taïga called on the support unit of the Memve’ele HEP dam project to associate with MINEPIA so that a strong Government directive by the Prime Minister on a broad valorisation programme on HEP dams in the country could be developed.

He hailed the Hydro-Mekin officials for accepting to accompany MINEPIA in the development of short cycle livestock rearing, fishing and aquaculture in villages and councils surrounding the Mekin HEP dam project. Adding that the short cycle livestock rearing would help preserve biodiversity around the Dja game reserve located within the confines of the project, he said socio-communal production infrastructure to facilitate trading of animal and fisheries products would also be developed.

Outlining the type of support MINEPIA would receive from Hydro-Mekin, Dr. Taïga said his Ministry has engaged to organise participative workshops to bring out the real needs of the operational team of the project; make functional framework structures as well as the provision of human, material and financial resources.

The training of fisheries and livestock farmers, reinforcing partnership between national and international financial institutions and Hydro-Mekin within the framework of industrialisation of livestock, fisheries and aquaculture activities are some of the engagements taken by MINEPIA.

Promising to personally follow-up and evaluate all the activities outlined in the MoU, Dr. Taïga called on the team that has been working on the agreement to rapidly prepare a project in order to get the shortlisted activities included in the 2015 budget.

According to him, the joint efforts of Hydro-Mekin and MINEPIA, if properly carried out, would not only increase the quantity of fish and meat in the market, but would also create employment for the youth.

In a speech at the event, Andre Mfoula Edjomo, who signed the MoU on behalf of the General Manager of Hydro-Mekin, said the multi-purpose dam project whose reservoir will cover about 8,000 hectares of land, will generate some 15 megawatt of electricity. He said fisheries potentials of rivers Dja, Sabe and Lobo in the South Region with close to 10 different fish species identified during feasibility studies, is also capable of producing close to 500 tons of fish per year.

“In addition to production of electricity, the financial and economic profitability aspect of the dam has also taken into consideration the exploitation of the reservoir for the production of fish for sale as well as the intensification of animal production on an industrial scale,” Edjomo stated.

Noting that the MoU spells out the roles of the parties, Edjomo said Hydro-Mekin will support MINEPIA financially and materially in the accomplishment of the activities outlined in the document. He said MINEPIA will be given an all-season car, support for field studies and capacity building of technical personnel, amongst other activities.

“The Corporation will also participate in the follow-up of the impact of the dam on the quality of the aquacultural ecosystem of the area in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, Protection of Nature and Sustainable Development,” Edjomo disclosed.