Brazzaville MoU sets stage for women’s blue economy forum
Brazzaville’s push for a more inclusive blue economy gained momentum on Jan. 20, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between two professional federations preparing a regional and international forum focused on women entrepreneurs in Central Africa, according to Agence Congolaise d’Information (ACI).
The agreement was signed in Brazzaville by Carine Ibombo, president of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs’ Organizations of Congo (Fofe-Congo), and Pitsou Lebela Issendet Abondo, president of the Federation of Associations for the Blue Economy in Congo (Faebco), ACI reported.
The protocol aims to establish active collaboration in organizing what the partners describe as an International Forum dedicated to women’s blue entrepreneurship in Central Africa. The event is scheduled for August, according to statements made during the signing ceremony (ACI).
A technical forum built around concrete solutions
Ibombo said the forum is designed to be “resolutely technical” and oriented toward practical solutions. She presented it as a space intended to deliver actionable responses that can help secure women’s business activities and improve daily working conditions in blue-economy trades (ACI).
The forum’s approach, Ibombo argued, goes beyond promoting economic activity. “It is not only about supporting an economic activity, but preserving human lives,” she said, stressing the goal of ensuring women can work to support families without facing life-threatening risks (ACI).
In her remarks, Ibombo linked the event’s priorities to the hazards faced by women in sectors connected to fisheries commerce. She highlighted situations involving serious accidents and loss of life, describing the consequences as dramatic for families and communities (ACI).
Safety at the center of women’s fisheries trade
The emphasis on women’s blue entrepreneurship, Ibombo said, is rooted in the need to reduce the many risks encountered in the field, particularly by women who sell fish. She portrayed safety as both an economic and social issue, touching livelihoods and household stability (ACI).
Ibombo called for measurable outcomes, insisting the process should lead to visible improvements. Her stated objective is to help reduce risks, strengthen protection and make women’s economic activities safer, with results that can be evaluated beyond speeches and commitments (ACI).
She also appealed to “partners of goodwill,” naming boat manufacturers and boat owners as potential contributors. The idea, she said, is to help make appropriate and secure equipment available to women traders, responding to the realities of work on and around waterways (ACI).
Faebco’s role: know-how, data and training on sustainability
For Ibombo, the partnership is strategic because Faebco, she said, has tools, know-how and data that can support the initiative. She pointed to the federation’s capacity to help identify problems faced by women working in the sector, informing solutions discussed at the forum (ACI).
Abondo framed the agreement as consistent with Faebco’s broader policy agenda. He said his organization aims to address needs in training, awareness and the appropriation of the concept of a sustainable economy, which he described as still insufficiently integrated into national practices (ACI).
Citing Faebco’s recognized expertise and strong technical capacity in the blue economy, Abondo said the federation would contribute its experience and doctrinal expertise to support Fofe-Congo in organizing an event he described as large-scale and outward-looking (ACI).
A sub-regional meeting with Central Africa in focus
According to ACI, the forum will have a sub-regional and international reach. It is to be led by Fofe-Congo, with Faebco providing technical support, a division of labor intended to combine convening power with sectoral expertise for a complex agenda (ACI).
Organizers expect the meeting to bring together a range of national and international actors to discuss challenges, opportunities and perspectives for the blue economy in Central Africa. The format is positioned to connect field realities with policy and technical conversations (ACI).
In the Congolese context, the forum’s stated priorities highlight an operational starting point: safeguarding women’s work while strengthening skills and shared understanding of sustainable practices. If the promised technical orientation is maintained, the August gathering could sharpen cooperation around safer, better-organized blue-economy activities (ACI).