Spanish group strengthens fisheries training in Mozambique

Nueva Pescanova will invest 346 thousand euros in the training of instructors , expansion of the academic offer and extension of training opportunities to develop the fishing sector in Mozambique, announced the Spanish fishing giant, in a statement.

The project is part of the second phase of the so-called Public-Private Partnership for Development launched in 2019 by the group to strengthen the capacities of the fishing sector and promote sustainable employment in Mozambique, according to a note from Nueva Pescanova.

"Under this new agreement, the program will focus on strengthening trainer training at the Institute of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, particularly in areas that could not be fully addressed due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic ," the note states.

The Nueva Pescanova Group is a multinational company specializing in the capture, cultivation, production and marketing of seafood products, headquartered in the Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain.

The company also plans to expand the academic offerings of the Mozambican institute , "incorporating new qualifications and equipment adapted to the demands of the job market and aligned with international standards", extend training and education opportunities to other coastal regions of the country, "crucial" for the development of the fishing sector, in addition to promoting synergies between public, private and educational institutions "to improve technical training and facilitate access to employment in the maritime and fishing sector".

“The project, with a total budget of 346 thousand euros, will be implemented in the coming years to consolidate and develop the achievements of the first phase (2019-2021),” he explains.

This new phase is the result of an agreement signed in June of this year, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, between the Nueva Pescanova Foundation and Pescamar, the group's subsidiary in Mozambique, together with the Spanish International Agency for Cooperation and Development, the Institute of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, in Maputo, and the governments of Mozambique and the autonomous community of Galicia.

According to Nueva Pescanova, during the first phase of the project , now completed, “the foundations were laid for strengthening professional skills in the fishing sector, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, gender equality and respect for human rights.”

The company was founded in 1960 and currently employs more than 12,000 people in 27 countries.

After several years in the pre-bankruptcy process, the group was restructured in 2015 with the division into two companies: Nueva (New, in Portuguese) Pescanova, which belongs to the banking sector and brings together the productive part, and the “old” Pescanova, owned by the former shareholders.

This restructuring was approved in 2014 by the main creditors of the former Pescanova, which thus prevented the company from being liquidated.

In Mozambique, the company fishes around 50% of the total allowable catch (TAC) of shrimp, and in Namibia around 20% of the TAC for hake, said the head of the Spanish company.