Kuching MoU
Category:Updates
Aquaculture without Frontiers is very excited to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which took place on 10 December in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia and gives some indication of the importance of our organisation into the future.
The signing of the MoU with partners STEM States Incorporated and the Association of International Seafood Professionals (AISP) was signed in the offices of Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, Minister of Social Development Sarawak (KPS) which indicates the importance of the proposed activities relating to the future of social development and education in Malaysia, with a particular emphasis on SCORE and aligning Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Aquaculture to Malaysia’s future human resource needs.
James Jackman representing STEM States said “Bringing us all together here today is the need to continue the development of one of the ten high impact areas of SCORE, which in this case is Aquaculture. The development of this high impact area will be kick-started by a partnership between STEM States, the Ministry for Social Development, AwF, the AISP and Zaracon Engineering. We are currently involved in an in depth feasibility study in relation to the establishment of an Aqua Learning Centre in Sarawak, potentially the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific Region. The partnership will collaborate with the Halal Hub Unit, a department of the Chief Ministers office, where the partnership will look to utilize the Tanjung Manis SCORE region, allocated to the production of Halal certified food.”
Khairuddin Abdul Kadir, Malaysia National Secretary for Global STEM States commented ‘By the year 2030, 66% of the world’s middle class population will be located in the Asia Pacific region, and the world’s seafood harvest will mainly come from the Aquaculture industry. Aqua Learning Centres will play an important role in the continued education of the Aquaculture industry which will drive innovation and technology as well promote and support responsible and sustainable aquaculture to alleviate poverty and malnutrition and to enhance food security for disadvantaged people. It is proposed that through the Ministry for Social Development that an international conference will take place in Sarawak in 2015, and this will kick-start the process with the conference content covering the requirements of the KPS, SCORE and the greater Sarawak region, with covering such topics as Aquaculture, Arts and Culture, Sports, Planetariums, Museums, etc.”
This arrangement is part of the AwF’s global strategy to promote and support responsible and sustainable aquaculture to alleviate poverty and malnutrition and to enhance food security for disadvantaged people. If you, or your organization (through our CSR program), would like to join with us by volunteering or donating, please click the appropriate link.