Table of materials and presentations

23-24 October 2018, Nairobi, Kenya: Participants to the Project Inception Workshop of GCP/RAF/510/MUL: Enhancing capacity/risk reduction of emerging Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) to African tilapia aquaculture, consisting of about 34 four delegates representing Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda; government, academe and producer sector representatives from Kenya; officials of FAOR and FAOHQ and TiLV experts and aquatic animal health specialists.

Some 34 delegates from Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda; delegates and officials of Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, academe and producer sector representatives; officials of FAOR and FAOHQ and experts actively participated during the Project Inception Workshop (PIW) of GCP/RAF/510/MUL: Enhancing capacity/risk reduction of emerging Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) to African tilapia aquaculture funded by the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund.

Tilapias are the second-most important farmed finfish worldwide, with Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), as the 6th among the top cultured species. Given the importance of farmed/wild-caught tilapia, especially as a widespread source of low-cost protein and micronutrients, its affordability, TiLV represents a potential threat to food security.

Ms Susan Imende, Ag. Director General, Kenya Fisheries Service, emphasized the need to urgently tackle the threat of TiLV since it is in the African continent already and can pose a serious pathogen risk to wild tilapia populations of African lakes and rivers.

"We are aware that the disease can cause high mortalities and since there is neither cure nor vaccine yet, it can cause a lot of socio-economic upheaval among the small-scale fish farmers who are the majority in our Countries" (Ms Susan Imende).

She concluded her remarks with a note on the need to create awareness, create strong monitoring and surveillance systems as a continent, build capacity for diagnosis and more research for better understanding in order to develop an affordable vaccine and diversification of culture species. She declared open the PIW with a final remark "We must work together and not in isolation".

The PIW introduced the backgrounder, objectives, scope, components and outputs, discussed project implementation mechanisms; identified potential bottlenecks and/or risk in project implementation & recommended ways in advance to avoid such risks.

Participants' knowledge of TiLV was enhanced on its emergence and current distribution, pathology and diagnostics, prevention, risks and risk management, aquatic animal disease surveillance and requirements. The participants also learned some aspects of socio-economic impact assessment methods and the FAO Emergency Management Tools.
By the end of the PIW, country delegates presented a detailed implementation plan including requirements, components, time-line, risks and responsibilities.

A 10-day intensive Training Course on TiLV is scheduled to be held from 4-13 December in Kisumu, Kenya in collaboration with the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute and the Kenya Fisheries Service.

More information: Melba.Reantaso@fao.org