GRANTEE: STAND OUT FOR ENVIRONMENT RESTORATION INITIATIVE (NIGERIA)
Grant name: Fishing Net Gains
The Fishing Net Gains Community Integrated Center project, led by the SOFER Initiative, made significant progress in 2024. As part of this project, the SOFER Initiative recruited 16 local ghost gear retrievers, who successfully recovered 1,919 kg of waste fishing gear across eight coastal communities in Nigeria. Additionally, 25 women from the local community were trained to convert fishing gear into fabric at the Community Integrated Centre (CIC). The CIC serves as a multifunctional facility: a hub for fabric production; a welfare center; and a cooperative space for fishermen, women, fish processors, and traders. The facility also functions as a training center for fabric production.
SOFER Initiative Executive Director Emmanuel Sofa was a keynote speaker at the GGGI annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Also, he was invited to join the GGGI Expert Advisory Council, marking another key achievement for the organization.
In 2024, the Sustainable Seas Trust published a document called “Addressing ALDFG in Africa: A best practice guide. This is the first policy document targeting ALDFGs in Africa, and the SOFER Initiative was a major contributor to the document, with its SOFER Project Manager Joshua Nathaniel listed as co-author.