10 JUNE 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS The African Chapter of WAS has gotten to another level as we strive to serve the interests of our members and the aquaculture community at large within the African continent. I say this with much exuberance and pleasure because the WAS Board has approved our plans for the Chapter’s inaugural international conference and exposition – the First Aquaculture Africa Conference – scheduled for 2020. The conference will take place in Egypt, the continent’s leader in aquaculture industry development. I believe many readers are aware of Egypt’s phenomenal aquaculture growth over the past decades, with production volumes surpassing around 1.5 million t valued at nearly US$430 million in 2017, according to the recent General Authorities for Fish Resources fish statistics book published in 2019. It is interesting to note that virtually all aquaculture output comes from small- and medium-scale privately owned farms and that nearly 1 million t of Nile tilapia is farmed in the country. Subject to government approval, we hope to hold the conference and exposition at the famous Alexandrina Bibliotheca in Alexandria City, which is right next to the epicenter of tilapia production in Egypt in the Nile Delta. Thus, attendees will have the opportunity to visit farms in the vicinity. And what’s more, Egypt has great tourist attractions worthy of a visit afterwards, such as the Pyramids of Giza, great museums, desert, the Mediterranean coastline, among other world-class attractions. The Grand Egyptian Museum will be open in Giza by 2020, with a total cost expected to reach $1 billion. The museum will contain over 100,000 artifacts reflecting Egypt’s past from prehistoric through to the Greek and Roman periods. Egypt is also a relatively affordable country on many fronts. So, we are working round the clock and step by step with the WAS conference management team and the Egyptian government to make this dream come true. Preparatory work has gathered speed. We are excited to host the convergence of our WAS members with African aquaculture stakeholders – governments, developmental agencies, NGOs, industry players, researchers, experts, students, other value chain actors and collaborators – to celebrate our achievements recognized from the aquaculture sector in Africa over the past decades. The event will also highlight some of the latest aquaculture research, innovations and investments that underpin continued growth of this exciting food production sector in Africa. The event will consist of a scientific forum with oral and poster presentations, a trade exhibition, industry forums, workshops, student events and other organized side meetings. Highly esteemed keynote speakers from Africa and beyond are expected. It is expected that African Chapter (CONTINUED ON PAGE 12) This is my last column as APC president. It has been my honor to serve with those who will be stepping down and with those who are coming on board. My term as Past-President will end at World Aquaculture 2020 in Singapore. By the time you read this, the APC elections will have concluded and new officers and directors will be preparing to begin their service at APA19 in Chennai. I extend my warm welcome to all new board members and also express my thanks to outgoing board members for their service to the APC board. As always, many thanks to the APC secretariat for continued support and help. I started my career as a technical associate in a private aquaculture company and joined Tamil Nadu Fisheries University later as an Assistant Professor. I rose to various positions in the University by serving as Associate Professor and Professor and now as Vice-Chancellor. I come from a normal fisherfolk family and am grateful for the support of many people and my professional colleagues who elected me President of the Asian Pacific Chapter of WAS. Realizing the potential for aquaculture in India, I have been working tirelessly my entire career to promote many new and innovative aquaculture technologies. By obtaining R&D grants from various agencies, I developed many successful aquaculture systems for adoption in India and set a trend for many Asian countries. So, this has been a hectic year so far! Besides working on my regular administrative routines and research work in the university, I am also leading APC activities to make sure the chapter and members are staying the course to keep the APC relevant and up-to-date on news items that would be of interest to chapter members and the aquaculture industry. I have contributed to the growth of the APC by enrolling more than 100 members every year by conducting various national and international conferences and workshops in Chennai. I am very grateful to the Tamil Nadu government and their support made me take up the Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2019 event in India. Coming from the first batch of fisheries college students, I made sure that the present generation of students and farmers will get exposure to this international event. I am satisfied that we will conduct this event in India where all our young minds will get an opportunity to meet many international delegates. My experience with the APC board always goes with emotion in saying “I’m closely associated and bonded with the APC board” because I’ve served two years as a director and then was elevated to Chapter President. The Board really helped me Asian Pacific Chapter (CONTINUED ON PAGE 12)
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