Nueva Pescanova is set to invest 346,000 euros in training instructors, expanding academic offerings, and extending training opportunities to develop Mozambique’s fishing sector, announced the Spanish fishing giant in a statement.
This initiative is part of the second phase of the Public-Private Partnership for Development launched in 2019 by the group to strengthen the fishing sector’s capabilities and promote sustainable employment in Mozambique, according to the statement from Nueva Pescanova.
“Within the framework of this new agreement, the program will focus on strengthening the training of trainers at the Institute of Marine and Fisheries Science, particularly in areas that could not be fully addressed due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic,” the statement notes.
Group Nueva Pescanova is a multinational specialized in the capture, cultivation, production, and commercialization of seafood products, headquartered in the Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain.
The company also plans to expand the academic offerings of the Mozambican institute by “incorporating new qualifications and equipment adapted to labor market demands and aligned with international standards,” extending training and education opportunities to other coastal regions in the country, “crucial” for the development of the fishing sector, along with promoting synergies between public, private, and educational institutions “to enhance technical training and facilitate access to employment in the maritime and fishing sector.”
“The project, with a total budget of 346,000 euros, will be implemented over the coming years to consolidate and develop the achievements of the first phase (2019-2021),” it explains.
This new phase results from an agreement signed last June in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, between the Nueva Pescanova Foundation and Pescamar, the group’s subsidiary in Mozambique, along with the Spanish International Cooperation and Development Agency, the Institute of Marine and Fisheries Science, in Maputo, and the Mozambican and Galicia autonomous community governments.
According to Nueva Pescanova, during the already completed first phase of the project, “the foundations were laid for strengthening professional skills in the fishing sector, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, gender equality, and respect for human rights.”
The company was founded in 1960 and currently employs more than 12,000 people across 27 countries.
After several years in bankruptcy proceedings, the group was restructured in 2015 into two companies: Nueva (New, in Spanish) Pescanova, held by banks and encompassing the productive part, and the “old” Pescanova, owned by former shareholders.
This restructuring was approved in 2014 by the main creditors of the old Pescanova, which thus avoided the company being liquidated.
In Mozambique, the company catches about 50% of the total allowable catch (TAC) of shrimp, and in Namibia, about 20% of the TAC of hake, according to the Spanish company’s spokesperson.
