Senegal commission investigates fishing licence awards
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Senego
Senegal’s parliamentary commission of inquiry into fishing licences heard Mamadou Goudiaby about the award of permits and monitoring of vessels. MPs are also examining suspected fictitious Senegalisation and tonnage irregularities raised during hearings, reports Africtelegraph.
Senegal’s parliamentary commission of inquiry into fishing licences summoned Mamadou Goudiaby to explain how permits were awarded, Senego reports. MPs are seeking to establish who signed permits issued to Senegalese and foreign vessels, under what conditions and for which shipowners.
Hearings also cover the registration and monitoring of vessels under the Senegalese flag, technical inspections, maritime registers, tonnage measurement and the criteria for Senegalisation. Bécaye Diop, director general of the National Agency for Maritime Affairs (Anam) from November 2024 to July 2026, told MPs about alleged cases of fictitious Senegalisation and irregularities in tonnage registers identified in an audit of the industrial fleet.
The Minister of Fisheries and Maritime and Port Infrastructure, Fatou Diouf, defended the recent award of coastal demersal fishing licences before the National Assembly. She said four licences had been granted, not five, and that only two had been signed since she took office in 2024, after the formalities had been checked. She also announced a revision of the Fisheries Code.
In Soumbédioune, artisanal fishers are denouncing competition from industrial vessels and dwindling fish stocks. According to Senego, a fish that sold for 100 CFA francs now costs 500 francs, while four fish cost 2,500 francs, a price that has become unaffordable for many households.
