Creation of network of African sea sciences institutes probed in Morocco

A meeting on the creation of an African network gathering institutes specialized in sea sciences and research, opened in Casablaca on Monday with the participation of thirteen countries.

The encounter is part of the recommendations of the fifth session of the ministerial conference on halieutic cooperation among African states bordering the Atlantic ocean, held in Libreville in October 2001.

Participants to the meeting will examine the network's statutes, funding and scope of action, and will also debate the regional strategy of halieutic research, along with the network's 2003-2004 program.

"The creation of an African space for research is both a challenge and an opportunity," said Morocco's Fisheries minister, Tayeb Rhafes, in a speech read on his behalf at the opening session of the encounter, noting that this network will provide regional cooperation with an efficient instrument.

The new network will coordinate action among specialized laboratories and promote regional and international partnership with similar institutions based in developed countries.