Overview

The West Africa Region is a spotlight of a great diversity of shellfish species along extensive coastal intertidal ecosystems. Shellfish will continue to provide food security and jobs to several hundred thousand people, mainly women. The West Africa Shellfish Knowledge and Outreach Hub (Shellfish Hub) is coordinating the West Africa Shellfish Network (WASNet) with a primary aim of interconnecting shellfish stakeholders, including harvesters, government, academia, NGOs, and donors within the Region through a vibrant sharing and collaboration platform. WASNet will nurture the needed collaboration for sustainable management and adequate and safe shellfish production for the Region and the global market.

Operational Framework

WASNet is hosted by the Shellfish Hub at the Center for Coastal Management, University of Cape Coast. The network receives backstopping from a Regional Advisory Committee. There are country-level networks in eleven coastal West African countries. Each country network is semi-autonomous, headed by a President and coordinated by an Executive Committee, which takes a format suitable for the country network.

Membership

Which of the following WASNet membership categories are you applying for?

Membership Categories:

Full membership is open to individuals and institutions: shellfisher groups/associations, government agencies, research institutions, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders interested in shellfish and their connected ecosystems. This includes but is not limited to shellfish experts, enthusiastic student researchers, environmental practitioners, marine biologists, etc.

Associate membership is open to individuals, public and private institutions/departments and NGOs with a mandate or interest in marine resource conservation, management and utilisation.

Corporate membership is open to firms and other corporate bodies focused on or with business interests in shellfish value-chain and by-products but who do not have a direct interest in marine conservation. This includes companies interested in investing in CSR in water/coastal/marine environments and resources.

* Honorary membership shall be conferred on individuals who have been inspirational or distinguished benefactors to WASnet and West African shellfisheries generally. You may nominate an individual or institution for this recognition.