National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries 2022-2026.

The National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries (NPOA-SSF) is a national sectoral plan of Namibia for the period 2022-2022. Its main objective is to recognize and support the role and importance of small-scale fisheries and their contribution to socio-economic development for fishers and fisheries dependent communities, while paying due consideration to the need for restoration and sustainable management of the natural resources.
The Plan's vision is that of Namibia’s small-scale fisheries sector recognized, prioritized, supported, and contributing to socio-economic development to improve livelihoods, food, and nutrition security.
The NPOA-SSF strategic objectives are anchored upon four key components which are aligned to the four strategic pillars of Namibia’s fifth National Development Plan. A fifth pillar/component is a cross cutting theme introducing an enhanced awareness on small-scale fisheries.
The components are the following: Component 1- Inclusive Governance: developing effective national policies and programs for small-scale fisheries and improving community governance. Component 2- Ecological integrity & Climate Change: promoting sustainable resource management approaches & localised climate adaptation strategies. Component 3- Economic development: improving the contribution of the small-scale fisheries sector to the local and national economies, and promoting inclusive blue growth, and enhancing public awareness of SSF. Component 4- Social transformation: Promoting innovative, transformative approaches for SSF, youth & gender mainstreaming and capacity building opportunities. Component 5- Cross cutting theme: cultivating a research agenda for and enhancing public awareness of SSF.
Implementation of the National Plan of Action for small-scale fisheries will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in close collaboration with key small-scale fisheries stakeholders at the local, regional, national, and global levels. The Food and Agriculture Organisation will provide technical backstopping during implementation.
The implementation approach will be made at three levels. The Macro-level approach points at creating an enabling environment by establishing a Small-Scale Fisheries Policy and addressing existing government policies, strategies, and the legal framework for the socio-economic development and sustainable management of the inland and coastal small-scale fisheries sub sectors; the Meso-level approach addresses the needs of intermediaries to build capacities for small scale fishers, including to promote community governance practices; the Micro-level approach aims to improve the contribution of small-scale fisheries to employment, food and nutrition security at the local level; to improve post-harvest losses and to optimize the small-scale fisheries value chain in support of local employment, community livelihoods and poverty reduction.