Introductions

I am in charge of the communication at the Technical Secretariat of the ADEPA (West African Organization for the Development of Traditional Fishing in Abidjan). The ADEPA is a Organization of several NGO of which the objective is the promotion of the traditional fishing in the 16 countries of the Western Africa. It has run for 5 years a " Regional Program of Exploitation of captures of the Traditional Fishing in Western Africa (PPAO)" financed by the European Union.

The ADEPA has the technical, administrative and financial charge of the PPAO, which has permitted it to experiment the EU /ACP partnership. Our experiences were the object of several reports on the subject in n° 111 of the FPH titled " to Put the European cooperation at the service of actors and processes of development ".

This document served as a basis to the seminar of Brussels on the Partnership UE/ACP of the 6, 7 and 8 April 1999.

The philosophy of development of the ADEPA rests on the participatory method. It consists in listening to grassroots populations, in fact those of the sector of the fishing, and to support them in the strengthening of their capacities in view of a progressive autonomy. My communicator role consists in bringing to this grassroots population the necessary information to its development. It is general, technological, trade interest information, etc. These information are distributed through the more or less suitable media to this target public of a particular type: bimonthly " Bonga ", monthly " Flash-Marche", technical-economic files, rural radio and fairs.

- The Bimonthly " Bonga " gives general information on the new technologies and serves as a media of experience sharing for the professional organizations. It also treats topics of common interest such as Agreements of Fishing, etc...

- The Monthly Flash-Marche provides some more technical information on kinds, quantities and costs of fishes.

- The technical-economic files, deal with the technical subjects more in depth.

- The participation of the economic operators at fairs makes possible them to exchange among themselves and to tie the trade contacts.

But of all these means of information and exchanges, the rural radio is the most suitable considering the African socio-cultural context with as inheritance among others the orality. This African socio-cultural reality wishes that when one intervenes for example on grassroots populations, that one takes the time to do it and not with the specific and lapidary actions. At the village, under the tree of palavers, one doesn't look at the time, in other words, one is not hurried.

There is a small example of certain African realities that escapes perhaps certain developers still and that we would wish to bring to the surface through this forum. Better one knows populations on which one intervenes, better actions have the impact. To know, is to consider the other, take the time to listen to him and to seek together with him the solution to his problems. It is these notions of sustainable development that we would like to share with you through this forum so that together we can help the Partnership to find again all its sense.