Madar (Kafountine) - Senegal's Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Amy Mara Dieye, on Saturday, 24 October 2026 launched construction of a modern fish-smoking centre and a house for fishing-sector stakeholders at the Kafountine fishing quay in Bignona department, Casamance, in the south of the country, the Senegalese news agency APS reported.
Both facilities are financed by the Senegal Natural Resources Management project (SENRM), a World Bank programme to develop artisanal fishing in Casamance. The smoking unit will cost more than 218 million CFA francs and the stakeholders' house more than 80 million, the minister said.
The smoking unit is meant to curb the heavy use of wood for smoking fish, as the Kafountine site can burn up to 72 tonnes of wood a day, Dieye said. It will be fitted with energy-efficient ovens running on biochar made from agricultural by-products. The house will serve as a venue for consultation, training and coordination between fishermen, fish traders, women processors and local authorities.
According to the minister, more than 43,986 tonnes of produce were landed at Kafountine in 2025, worth close to 20 billion CFA francs, with more than 865 active canoes and some 6,118 fishermen.
Kafountine mayor David Diatta said the quay generates annual turnover of nearly 20 billion CFA francs, while the fee paid to the municipality is under 10 million, calling it "an economic giant with feet of clay".
He also warned about the advancing sea: "If nothing is done, the site will disappear within 20 years."
