UNWFO recognizes the unique obstacles encountered by women and youth in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, including limited access to finance, lack of knowledge about better production systems and management, limited information on fish processing techniques, lack of confidence to engage in the industry’s decision-making spaces and curtailing opportunities for innovation, negative gender and youth stereotypes that hold them back from investing in fish businesses including trade and production, and inadequate infrastructure. To address these challenges comprehensively, we collaborate with various stakeholders and implement strategic initiatives aimed at promoting economic empowerment and sustainability.
Through our regional chapters and partnerships with organizations like African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network (AwFISHNET) and Eastern Africa Women and Youth in Fisheries and Aquaculture Network (WIFA-N EA), we work to amplify the voices of women and youth, facilitate access to better markets, and promote innovation in the fishing industry. UNWFO is striving towards strengthening the regional chapters of east, west, south, north and central Uganda to enhance communication among members and create linkages with other stakeholders for better trade.
At UNWFO, Ugandan women and youth share experiences, build the capacities of its members to adopt best practices, improve the access of women and youth fish products to local and regional markets, and advocate as one ‘One Voice’ to enhance their role and contribution to the sector.
The core of UNWFO’s objective is to advocate for inclusive value chains for small scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, access to markets and appropriate infrastructure. UNWFO has created and continues to create employment opportunities for youth, women, PWDs and refugees in Uganda through an inclusive value chains approach, which enables fishers, fish farmers and fish workers to better provide affordable high-quality fish products and foster economic development.