https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250911/gambias-fishmeal-crisis-europes-appetite-drains-local-seas-threatens-food-sovereignty-1078137873.html
Gambia’s Fishmeal Crisis: Europe’s Appetite Drains Local Seas, Threatens Food Sovereignty
Gambia’s Fishmeal Crisis: Europe’s Appetite Drains Local Seas, Threatens Food Sovereignty
Sputnik Africa
Across the Gambia’s coastline, the rise of fishmeal factories has turned a staple food into a contested resource. Once the lifeblood of family meals and... 11.09.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-09-11T16:02+0200
2025-09-11T16:02+0200
2025-09-11T16:58+0200
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Gambia’s Fishmeal Crisis: Europe’s Appetite Drains Local Seas, Threatens Food Sovereignty
Sputnik Africa
Across the Gambia’s coastline, the rise of fishmeal factories has turned a staple food into a contested resource. Once the lifeblood of family meals and women’s livelihoods, small pelagic fish are now ground into powder for European aquaculture, leaving Gambians to grapple with scarcity, rising prices, and eroded traditions.
The fishmeal industry has grown rapidly across West Africa, driven by global demand for animal feed. In the Gambia, its effects are especially stark: coastal villages lose their most affordable protein, women processors are pushed out of work, and pollution from factories disrupts fragile ecosystems. Investigative journalist and activist Mustapha Manneh told Global South Pole that this crisis exposes the unequal structures shaping how Africa’s resources are consumed.The activist further explained that the irony of fishmeal is that Gambians face hunger not because fish are absent, but because they are diverted away for foreign profit.The journalist added that the injustice extends to state-level deals. He described the EU–Gambia fishing agreement as one of the cheapest in the world, a symbol of how Africa’s resources are bargained away. For him, true sovereignty will remain elusive until such agreements put local people before foreign fleets.To listen to the whole conversation, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Castbox, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict, Overcast, and Mave Stream.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole.
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Aliyu Bello
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podcasts, africa, europe, the gambia, european union (eu), fishery, agriculture, industry, industrialization, migration, migrants, women, african union (au), economy, economic community of west african states (ecowas), senegal, mauritania, technology, digital technology , ship, аудио
Gambia’s Fishmeal Crisis: Europe’s Appetite Drains Local Seas, Threatens Food Sovereignty
16:02 11.09.2025 (Updated: 16:58 11.09.2025) Aliyu Bello
Correspondent, Podcast Host
Across the Gambia’s coastline, the rise of fishmeal factories has turned a staple food into a contested resource. Once the lifeblood of family meals and women’s livelihoods, small pelagic fish are now ground into powder for European aquaculture, leaving Gambians to grapple with scarcity, rising prices, and eroded traditions.
The fishmeal industry has grown rapidly across West Africa, driven by global demand for animal feed. In the Gambia, its effects are especially stark: coastal villages lose their most affordable protein, women processors are pushed out of work, and pollution from factories disrupts fragile ecosystems. Investigative journalist and activist Mustapha Manneh told Global South Pole that this crisis exposes the unequal structures shaping how Africa’s resources are consumed.
The activist further explained that the irony of fishmeal is that Gambians face hunger not because fish are absent, but because they are diverted away for foreign profit.
“Imagine a Gambian child who cannot afford a plate of food, not because the food does not exist, but because it has been taken away to Europe to feed fish. That is the painful irony. These fish are meant to feed Gambian children, but instead, they are exported as fishmeal to Europe. It is a direct attack on our food sovereignty, and that is why we say no to this industry, because we cannot allow our resources to be stolen in broad daylight,” Manneh stressed.
The journalist added that the injustice extends to state-level deals. He described the EU–Gambia fishing agreement as one of the cheapest in the world, a symbol of how Africa’s resources are bargained away. For him, true sovereignty will remain elusive until such agreements put local people before foreign fleets.
To listen to the whole conversation, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Global South Pole. 
