Côte d’Ivoire: strengthening sanitary control of artisanal fish products

In brief

• Under the PASA–Côte d’Ivoire programme, COLEAD ran a five-day workshop to assess the national sanitary control system for artisanally processed fish products, using its R-SAT tool.
• Stakeholders involved: women processors, the Directorate of Veterinary Services and Animal Welfare (DSVBA), municipalities and the Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources (MIRAH).
• Participatory assessment across four dimensions: governance, operational processes, skills, communication — with a gender and youth focus.
• Results: a shared diagnosis and a structured national action plan.
• The aim: stronger food safety, competitiveness and market access for the sector.

A five-day workshop under the PASA programme

As part of PASA–Côte d’Ivoire, COLEAD brought together the key actors of the artisanal fisheries sector for five days to assess the national sanitary control system for processed products. Women processors, officials from the Directorate of Veterinary Services and Animal Welfare (DSVBA), representatives of municipalities and of the Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources (MIRAH) jointly co-developed a national action plan to improve the sanitary quality of these products.

Assessing the system with the R-SAT tool

The workshop drew on COLEAD’s R-SAT tool to gauge the maturity of the national system, analyse its strengths, weaknesses and gaps, and define a prioritised action plan. The work combined plenary sessions, breakout group work and participatory evaluations across four dimensions — governance, operational processes, skills and communication — with particular attention to gender and youth integration.

Concrete results

Two outputs stand out from the week: a shared diagnosis of the national sanitary control system for artisanally processed fish products, and a structured national action plan, ready to guide upcoming interventions to strengthen food safety and market access.

A milestone for the sector

The workshop marks an important milestone for the food safety, competitiveness and sustainability of Côte d’Ivoire’s artisanal fisheries. Its focus on the artisanal processing segment, the inclusion of women and the promotion of good hygiene practices aligned with market requirements makes it a practical lever for structuring the value chain.

To find out more about the PASA programme

PASA-Côte d’Ivoire

This activity is implemented by COLEAD and supported by the Food Safety Support Programme for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (PASA-Côte d’Ivoire), funded by the European Union through the EU Delegation in Côte d’Ivoire. This communication has been produced with the financial support of the EU. Its contents are the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the EU.