6. Budgetary measures for CLPAs in Senegal
For CLPAs to operate on a voluntary basis, it needs a source of funding. However, at the beginning of the creation of CLPAs, the law on financial schemes was not up to date. Joint Ministerial Order No. 001808 of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of 15 March 2006 states that 60% of artisanal fishing licence fees (hereafter referred to as licence fees) is made available to the CLPAs, which supervises fishing vessels, to finance its activities. However, once the fee was paid into the national treasury, it was never returned to CLPAs.
Joint Ministerial Order No. 003733 of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy of 11 April 2011 states that the share of the fee allocated to the CLPAs shall be managed by the management committee of the relevant department, represented by the county governor. It was also decided that the funds would be financed not only by 60% of the licence fee but also by 30% of the fee for the application for a fishmonger’s card, as well as grants from the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, support fees from donors and NGOs, and part of the various licence fees related to artisanal fishing.
Although the joint ministerial decree of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy set up a financial system to enable the CLPAs to function, 60% of the licence fees still remained in the national treasury and could not be used by the CLPAs. CLPA members from all over the country have regularly complained about this. Owing to the lack of funds, the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy distributed 3.25 million FCFA to all CLPAs. Now they are required to prepare a business plan and budget and submit it to the CLPA executive committee, which consists of such parties as departmental governor, departmental fisheries director, fishermen, and wholesalers. If the business plan is approved, they will receive the budget from a bank.
Here is an example: in 2017, CLPA Lompoul spent 1.25 million FCFA on activities including capacity building for members, assessment, monitoring activities, and travelling cost for meetings. The remaining 2 million FCFA was planned to be used for visits to Dakar by female processors and retailers to improve the quality and hygiene of fish products, and for multiple participatory monitoring activities.