In Albania, seafood matters fall under the responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, within which is the Directorate of Fishery Service and Aquaculture. As of September of this year, the Ministry is headed by Anila Denaj, who brings experience from a background in rural development and the banking sector.
A 1995 graduate in finance and banking management from the University of Tirana, Mrs. Denaj was most recently the Minister of Finance and Economy, and deputy head of the Albanian Agribusiness Support Team (AASF), supported by the Albanian Government and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
She has nearly two decades of experience in the banking sector, including employment as an international financial advisor for a financial holding company, ProCredit Holding GmbH / IPC Consulting Gmbh, that sent her to several locations in Latin America, Europe, and Africa, and she eventually rose to be the company’s deputy General Director.
In 2014 Mrs. Denaj became General Director in Albania’s Ministry of Finance and Economy. In her spare time, she has served on several important boards, such as the Administrative Council of the Mandatory Healthcare Insurance Fund in Albania (where she was briefly General Director), the Albanian Social Insurance Fund, and INSIG SA. Insurance Company. She was a member of A.K.E.P.’s board for three years, with responsibility for electronic/postal communications in Albania. Moreover, Ms Denaj boasts a long-standing partnership with ASPA, where she is certified by the European Union in the Leadership programme. Currently, as the chairperson of the sub-committee for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she completed a certification on the topic “Circular Economy. Transition to Sustainable Development” from MIT’s Professional Education program in Boston, USA.
The Ministry of Agriculture of which the Fisheries Directorate is a part, oversees regulation of the economic activity in that sector of the country with a purpose of increasing the sector’s production capacity. Albania is in the process of becoming an EU Candidate Country and, in this regard, is also in the process of aligning its legislation with the EU. Several by-laws have been approved that transpose some of the principles of the Common Fishery Policy into Albanian legislation. The legislation also contains the main principles of FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, and the establishment of the Fishery Management Organization for marine and inland waters is underway.