A strong wind is blowing off the sea on this rainy April morning in Bata, the economic capital of Equatorial Guinea, shaking the palm trees along the corniche and whipping up waves that crash onto the shore. Gradually, however, the squalls begin to lessen and the ocean calms, to be replaced by a vast expanse of greyish tones, gently rocked by light ripples that form here or there as the waves lap back and forth.
On the shore, close to the Ekuku-Bata fish products trading complex, fishers lay out their catches from the night before while the resellers negotiate prices and leave with their fish. They will display them on the gleaming newly renovated stalls of the fish market.
The market, which was specially built for women, is enlivened by the arrival of the resellers who braved the morning rain. They have already laid out their wares: the precious fish, crab and crayfish that the ocean offers up to the local population. These are dynamic women, happy finally to have a space to do business, sheltered from bad weather.
The redeveloped space has 57 high stalls and clearly marked aisles, like the narrow streets of any urban environment. Each woman has her own area, which is sufficiently large for her to work comfortably. They keep up a steady stream of talk with their customers, praising the merits of their freshly fished products: shellfish, and large and small fish, some placed in reed baskets where they are still quivering, fighting with their last strength to escape their fate.
Originally built by the government of Equatorial Guinea, the Ekuku-Bata fish products trading complex, which has been open to women since March 2024, was refurbished as part of the Support for the Development of Value Chains in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector Project (PASPA), funded by the African Development Bank.
The main objective of the PASPA project is to contribute to improving the food security and living conditions of the target populations through promoting value chains. In the medium term, according to the project evaluation report, it should help increase fish production available on the market by 19,126 tonnes and improve the income of the key actors involved (fishers, aquaculture specialists, processors, fish traders, etc.) by 100%.
Implementing the project, at a cost of around EUR 55 million, affects all value chains (production, storage, processing and marketing) for all three sectors: artisanal, maritime and continental fishing, industrial fishing, and aquaculture.
Lives transformed
For young women like Honorine Badifouma, aged 36, it is not only about a refurbished market: it is an entire life transformed, paving the way to a more stable future that holds promise for entire families.
Honorine arrived at the central market very early this morning, just before the rain. After tidying up and laying out the fish she stored the previous day in one of the complex's four cold rooms, she prepares to tackle the day ahead to sell her goods.
"In the past, I used to do coffee near Caydasa; then I started with fish, and then we were asked to come here," she explains, rearranging her fish on the stall.
Life has not always been easy for Honorine, who is married and has three children, with a fourth child on the way. Her fish business supports her family financially. Previously, she used to sell on the ground, without a stall, in an undeveloped area. When the weather was poor, unlike today, she was unable to work, and if she was unable to sell all her fish she was afraid of losing her stock in case the cold chain was compromised.
The refurbishment of the fish market at the Ekuku-Bata trading complex, however, has changed her working conditions. Honorine is now calmer.
"I have peace of mind, because if I haven't been able to sell everything before I go home, I know my fish is safe. If I feel unwell and can't go out, I don't get stressed about it: there's no theft here, I'm calm and my goods are well looked after," she continues with a broad grin.
Apart from the refurbishment of the Ekuku-Bata complex, support for artisanal fishing will also include the construction and fitting out of central purchasing units for fishing equipment and the construction of a fish storage, processing and selling unit in various places in this small Central African country.
"The project is based on the potential of the country's fish resources and their dependence on fish imports. The population is eating imported fish when they have their own supply. A project that aims to increase fish production is inevitably seen as positive by the population," emphasizes the project's national coordinator, Mariano Micha Massa Nsegue.
Initiatives are also under way in the industrial fishing sector, such as "acquiring a fishing boat, which is under construction, to support industrial fishing, and purchasing fishing equipment to equip the big central buying units to make it easier for operators and prevent them from buying nets and outboard motors from other countries, which is currently the case," explains Mr Nsegue.
In addition, three aquaculture sites with a total capacity exceeding 10,000 tonnes of fish are being developed in Ebibeyin, Mongomo and Micomiseng, and a storage, smoking, and sale of beverages unit is being built in Kyosi-Ebibeyin.
In terms of water and sanitation infrastructure, 51 solar-powered drinking water wells have been built in 34 villages located within the project area, and schools in each village have been equipped with latrines.
For Honorine, it is simply about improving infrastructure; in reality, it is much more than that, as these developments are one of the stages in the overall development strategy for Equatorial Guinea.
