By Precious D Freeman
The University of Liberia (UL), through the newly launched Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS), has held a one-day orientation for its first batch of students that are enrolling for the academic year 2022/2023.
The students’ orientation and the honoring program for Dr. Lawrence Issah Braimah, Coordinator of the Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project at the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), were jointly held in the theatre of the academic building in Fendall on Thursday, August 3, 2023.
Through NaFAA, the World Bank supports the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences at the University of Liberia.
The program initially targets undergraduate students, but the department hopes to elevate it to Master’s and Ph.D. programs in about five to ten years.
DoFAS has emerged with a need to build and train the needed human resource capacity and conduct innovative research for the emerging and growing fishing industry of Liberia.
Its primary aim is to enable the University of Liberia to bridge the human resource capacity gap in the Liberian fisheries sector.
According to DoFAS, in Liberia, a considerable fraction of the population derives its income, food, and nutrition security, and livelihoods from wild fisheries and aquaculture, although aquaculture remains basic.
Therefore, the rationale for the Bachelor of Science program in fisheries and aquaculture is to essentially introduce students to fisheries management, aquaculture, and fish processing and marketing topics, as well as to the scientific methods and instruments for research.
The specific objectives of the bachelor’s program are to train competitive students with skills in Fisheries Management and Administration, Aquaculture and Fish Processing, and Marketing Sciences to provide services in both public and private sector organizations.
It aims to equip students with tools and methods for investigating issues of fisheries resources management, aquaculture, and fish processing and marketing issues.
Furthermore, it aims to carry out marine research, and inland water ecosystems to assist policy and decision-makers to prepare policies on sustainable utilization of marine and freshwater resources.
The bachelor’s in Fisheries Science Program is designed to prepare fisheries professionals with competencies in the science and practice of fisheries and aquaculture, as well as fish processing and marketing issues.
During the one-day orientation and honoring ceremony, UL Vice president for Administration, Madam Benetta Joko Tarr, applauded all the entities that have contributed to the program financially, morally, and psychologically.
Madam Tarr extended special appreciation to DoFAS chair, Alvin S. Jueseah, and his team.
Talking about the honoree, Madam Tarr said what struck her the first time she saw Dr. Lawrence Issah Braimah was his humility.
She encouraged students to consider Dr. Braimah as their role model and mentor.
“Mr. Braimah has a wealth of experience, professionally, and academically,” she said.
On behalf of DoFAS and the University of Liberia in general, Madam Tarr gowned Dr. Braimah for his immense contribution to Liberia’s fishery industry.
In a special statement, Dr. Lawrence Isaah Braimah said he was pleased to accept the honor, on behalf of all his hardworking colleagues who worked with him during his tenure as the Project Coordinator of the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program in Liberia, from 2010 to 2014.
“Frankly, we worked tirelessly together to achieve project objectives and on time, little did we know that the effort put in our work would one day bring us honor as we are experiencing today,” he said.
He told students that people run away most times from Mathematics and Statistics and think that the haven is with biological sciences.
However, Dr. Braimah said if the students want to succeed and make meaning of the degree they will be earning in the next four years, they must be brave and conversant with the basic statistical methods to apply in their work.
“No scientific paper you produce without the proper application of statistics to confirm your findings would be accepted for publication, because the journals are very competitive and will not accept mediocrity,” he noted.
Dr. Alvin S. Jueseah, Chairman of DoFAS, said they seek to make the department second to none at the University of Liberia in the next five to ten years.
“DoFAS, although, may start as a department at the University of Liberia under the Science College; the intention that we have is to take it to a college level, establishing the College of Fishery and Aquatic Sciences and Governance in the next five to ten years,” he said.
To support the transition that is happening in the Liberian fishery industry, Dr. Jueseah said the DoFAS seeks to produce PhDs to have more faculty with the expertise to man the college.
The DoFAS chair said he envisages that the fishery program at the University of Liberia will be the key source of groundbreaking, empirical research, and innovative thinking, to serve as a guard in decision-making in the governance of Liberia’s fishery industry.
With these plans in mind, Dr. Jueseah said they are seeking partnerships with partner universities and local and international organizations to collaborate in training.
Addressing the students via phone during the program, National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) Director-General, Madam Emma Glassco, pledged NaFAA’s readiness to give them as much support as possible, and to also provide internship opportunities for them.
She however asked the students to be committed to the cause, saying it’s the only way they can be able to get maximum potential out of what they are doing.
Giving a background of the program, DoFAS Coordinator, Mr. Eric Patten, said the department was established last year to bridge the human resource capacity gap in the Liberia fishery sector.
He said the department was established to also be able to introduce fishery and aquaculture science topics to students seeking first degrees in different disciplines, and then for graduates or PhDs in fishery.
