Senegal has taken a major step forward in structuring its shellfish sector thanks to the project to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards. A national capitalization workshop, organized on Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Dakar by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with support from the Standards Application and Trade Development Fund (STDF), provided an opportunity to take stock of the project's promising results. Chaired by the Ministry of Fisheries, this two-day event aimed to present the project's outcomes and define future development prospects.

The project enabled the mapping of 50 shellfish farming sites using a rigorous scientific approach. The classification revealed that 62% of the sites are classified as Zone A (products directly marketable), 36% as Zone B (requiring prior purification), and 2% are deemed non-compliant. To regulate this activity, three regulatory decrees were adopted, covering site classification, facility hygiene, and product quality. A national monitoring program is now fully operational.

In terms of capacity building, the figures are significant: 64 inspection agents, 35 technical staff, and 233 stakeholders in the sector—mostly women—have received specialized training. Thanks to this standardization, Senegalese shellfish can now be supplied to major hotels, restaurants, and tourist markets, with prices ranging from 3,500 to 7,000 FCFA per kilogram depending on the region.

At the opening, Samba Ka, Director of Aquaculture at the Ministry of Fisheries, stressed that "this project marks a decisive transition: it is not just about upgrading the sector, but about making it sustainable, competitive and ready for export."

For her part, Catalina Pulido, representative of the STDF, reiterated her organization's mission: "We support developing countries so that they comply with SPS standards and can access international markets. The Senegalese project is an example of good practices that can be replicated in the sub-region."

Djibril Dramé, FAO sub-regional coordinator for West Africa, emphasized the social impact of the initiative: “This work structures the sector, improves the food safety of products and strengthens the economic empowerment of women shellfish farmers. Our goal is to consolidate these achievements and prepare for the future.”

Despite these advances, the workshop helped to identify several persistent challenges, including the need to strengthen product traceability, ensure the sustainability of funding and obtain official recognition of the Senegalese system from regional and international bodies.

According to the authorities, this event marks the beginning of a new phase: consolidating health achievements, structuring export channels and ensuring inclusive development for the benefit of coastal communities.