The European Union has approved funding for fisheries projects in Angola by 2020 estimated at 23.1 billion kwanzas (190 million euros), the EU representative in in Angola said Wednesday in Lunda.

Fernando Crenda, cited by newspaper Jornal de Angola said that fisheries projects financed by Brussels are consistent with the policies and commitments made by Angola in the area of ​​the Millennium Development Goals.

At the same meeting, the representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announced that cooperation agreements in the 2013/2017 period enable projects to identify aquaculture areas, fishing conservation and sale.

Mamadou Diallo said the results achieved to date had encouraged the FAO to increase support for another ten projects funded for the 2016/2017 period by providing 1.21 billion kwanzas (about US$11 million).

In turn, the chief economist of the African Development Bank in Angola said that in 2013 his bank had approved a new project to support the development of artisanal fisheries, estimated to cost about US$40 million.

Joelmo Mzima said, during the meeting, that the ADB would grant a loan of US$30 million for the project, with the remaining US$10 million guaranteed by the Angolan central government.

The technical meeting was attended by cooperation partners of the Ministry of Fisheries such as the embassies of Spain and Norway, the FAO, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the National Agency for Private Investment and the Ministry of Industry, among other institutions and national and international business organisations. (macauhub/AO)