Representatives from the Eleven Participating Fisheries Administrations, Regionalfishery

Representatives from the Eleven Participating Fisheries Administrations, Regionalfishery

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Kigali, 9October 2012

Representatives from the eleven participating Fisheries Administrations, RegionalFishery Organisations and Regional Economic Communities in Eastern Africa will meetat Hotel Chez Lando in Kigali, Rwanda,from10 to 12October2012 for the 3rd Regional ACP FishII Programme Monitoring Workshop and Training in Monitoring and Evaluation. The objectives of the Workshop arethreefold: 1)Collectively monitor ongoing ACP FishII projects in Eastern Africa, identify and implement corrective actions; 2)describe the revised ACP FishII monitoring and evaluation system, complete Project Evaluation Grids and score indicators accordingly; and 3)expose Participants to selected fishery realities in Rwanda.

ACP Fish II is a demand-driven programme financed by the European Commission (EC) under the 9thEuropean Development Fund (EDF) aimed at strengthening fisheries management in ACP countries. The Programme has been developed to contribute to the sustainable and equitable management of fisheries and, by extension, will lead to poverty alleviation and improved food security in ACP countries.

Over €3.3million have been allocated to implement 31national and regional fisheries and aquaculture projects in the Eastern Africa Region. To date, 13 of these projects are completed, while 3 others are ongoing, and the remaining 15projects are at various levels of development.

The Programme continues to follow a participatory approach through which ACP countries are involved in identifying, formulating, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating projects.

Participants in the 3rd Regional Programme Monitoring Workshop and Training in Monitoring and Evaluation in Kigali, Rwanda, will bethe Focal Points from the 11Fisheries Administrations (FAs) involved in project implementation from Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, two Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs), namely Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), and Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC), as well as twoRegional Economic Communities (RECs), namely Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and East African Community (EAC), and representatives of the fish industry, namely Regional Beach Management Unit Network (RBN), and East African Industrial Fishing and Fish Processors Association (EAIFFPA), besides those from the Programme Coordination Unit (CU) and the Regional Facilitation Unit for Eastern Africa (RFU-EA).

The Workshop isjointly organised by the Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and the ACP FishII Programme Regional Facilitation Unit for Eastern Africa (RFU-EA). It iscoordinated by ACP FishII staff: the Regional Manager for Eastern Africa in Kampala, Uganda, Mr.Koane Mindjimba, the Fisheries Policy Expert at the Coordination Unit (CU) in Brussels, Belgium, Mr.John Purvis, and the Programme Manager at the CU, Ms.Flavia Reale.

Rwandais receiving support from the Programme alongside other countries of the region through a number of projects for its fisheries and aquaculture sector management and development, including the following projects during Programme Estimate1 or PE1 (March2010 – May2011):

  1. Regional training on co-management; and
  2. Action planning for improved regional fish trade for sustainable fisheries management.

In addition, other projects involving Rwanda will be implementedduring Programme Estimate2 or PE2 (June2011 – May2013). These include:

  1. Analytical review of private sector involvement in aquaculture in EAC Partner States, with recommendations for future areas of growth and support;
  2. Regional training on commercial aquaculture management and development;
  3. Provision of technical assistance support to stakeholders in reducing illegal fish trade in East Africa;
  4. Regional training in devising fisheries policy instruments for fisheries co-managementin East Africa;
  5. Building Eastern African capacity for freshwater aquaculture research: study tour and practical exercises in Kenya;
  6. Regional study on the contribution of fisheries to GDP in COMESA and SADC Member States.

Rwanda, following the events of the 1994 genocide, has made a tremendous effort to rejuvenate all sectors of its economy including fisheries. The upcoming workshop in Kigali will give Rwanda a great opportunity to learn from the experience of other countries within the region which have made significant strides in this sector and share its own experience with them.

Since 2008, Rwanda has shifted its focus from entirely dependence on capture fisheries to promoting aquaculture in order to achieve economic growth and food security objectives.Capture fisheries and aquaculture are expected to contribute around 40% and 60%, respectively in achieving the stated objectives by the year 2020. There are good prospects to this end thanks to the aforementioned ACP FishII-supported projects.

Contacts for supplying more information

ACP FishII Programme Regional Manager for Eastern Africa: Mr.Koane Mindjimba –
E-mail:

Media Coordinator:

JOSHUA MBARAGA

Corner Stone Africa

Tel: +250 (0)788854414

Cell: +250 (0)788302477

Email:

Web:

ACP Fish II Programme website:

Project Funded by the European Union.

“The content of this publication are the sole responsibility of ACP Fish II Programme and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union”.

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Background Information

Over the years, the European Commission (EC) has developed strong political and economic relationship with countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific, collectively known as the ACP Group, notably through the signing of the Cotonou Agreement in 2000. Considering its socio-economic importance in many ACP countries, the fisheries and aquaculture sector has received continuous support from the EC through the European Development Fund (EDF), both at national and regional levels. EC-funded programmes and projects are designed and implemented in partnership with ACP countries concerned to develop their Fisheries Administrations’ planning and management capacities with a view to enhancing food security and creating employment.

Objectives of the ACP Fish II Programme

ACP Fish II is one of such programmes financed by the EC under the 9thEDF, with an overall amount of €30million, aiming at strengthening fisheries management in ACP countries. Its overall objective is to contribute to the sustainable and equitable management of fisheries in ACP regions, thus leading to poverty alleviation and improving food security in ACP countries. Its specific objective is to strengthen fisheries sector policy development and implementation. The Programme operates through the provision of technical assistance to fisheries stakeholders. It is implemented through the Coordination Unit (CU) in Brussels and six Regional Facilitation Units (RFUs) across the ACP countries, and each RFU coordinates a number of countries within its area of jurisdiction. The RFU for Eastern Africa covers 11countries, namely Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Programme started in June2009 and will be implemented throughout a period of 4.5years, eventually terminating in November2013.

Programme Components

The Programme consists of 5 components:

  1. Component 1 – Improved fisheries policies, legislation and management plans at regional and national level;
  2. Component 2 – Strengthened monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) capabilities;
  3. Component 3 – Enhanced national and regional research strategies;
  4. Component 4 – Improved business support and private sector investment; and
  5. Component 5 – Increased knowledge sharing on management and trade.

Component1, the cornerstone of the Programme as devising sound fisheries policies and management plans, is critical in ensuring the sustainable utilisation of fishery resources and the development of value-added activities in the fisheries sector. The other components will result from the adoption of sound fisheries management instruments, primarily at national but also at regional level. In particular, they will support and facilitate fisheries policies drafting and implementation processes, through the development of adequate research strategies, the strengthening of MCS measures and enforcement capability.

Socio-economic Importance of Fisheries and its Developmental Constraints in Eastern Africa

Fisheries are important in most Eastern Africa countries due to their multiple roles, including:

  • Contribution to the creation of national wealth through export earnings, mainly to the European market;
  • Employment creation at both small-scale and industrial levels;
  • Provision of incomes; and
  • Contribution to food security and poverty reduction.

Despite its socio-economic importance as outlined above, the sector within the region is confronted with a range of developmental constraints such as:

  • Weak or ineffective institutional and legal framework;
  • Limited control and enforcement capabilities in terms of MCS of fishing activities, enforcement systems, human and financial resources;
  • Weak scientific research strategies; and
  • Lack of reliable, relevant and timely information for fisheries management.

It is in this context that the ACP FishII Programme is implemented with a view to helping the target countries better manage their fishery resources so that the sector continues to play and enhance its role, in an international environment marked by the mobilisation to fight against poverty and improve food security.

Programme Implementation Strategy

Programme activities in the field are being implemented through two operational Programme Estimates (PE1 and PE2). In line with the implementation strategy jointly approved by the EuropeAid Cooperation Office (DEVCO) and the ACP Secretariat, PE1 covered the period between March2010 and May2011, and PE2 is covering the period between June2011 and May2013.

Programme Regional Workshops

The Programme has so far organised a number of Regional Workshops as far as Eastern Africa is concerned, including:

  1. The Regional Needs Assessment Workshopheld in Kampala, Uganda, on 1–2December2009 with the aim of identifying broad areas for targeting the Programme support.
  2. The Regional Action Plan Workshop held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 21–22October2010 at which participants identified projects and agreed on the Regional Action Plan.
  3. The 1st Regional Monitoring Workshop held in Kisumu, Kenya, on 24–25March2011 at which participants reviewed progress in project implementation thus far and planned for future tasks.
  4. The 2nd Regional Monitoring and Training Workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 13 to 16December2011 at which participants not only reviewed progress and achievements on project implementation thus far but also attended a Network Meeting and were trained in preparation of Terms of Reference within the EDF project cycle.
  5. The 3rd Regional Monitoring Workshop and Training in Monitoring and Evaluation in Kigali, Rwanda, from 10 to 12October2012.

The 4th Regional Monitoring Workshop will take place in Jinja, Uganda indicatively in April2013.

Objectives of the 3rd Regional Monitoring Workshop and Training in Monitoring and Evaluation

The 3rd Programme Regional Monitoring Workshop and Training in Monitoring and Evaluationfor Eastern Africa, at which 30participants from the eleven Fisheries Administrations, Regional Fishery Organisations and Regional Economic Communities in Eastern Africaare expected to attend, will be held at Hotel Chez Lando in Kigali, Rwanda, on 10–12October2012. The objectives of the Workshop are threefold:

  1. Collectively monitor ongoing ACP Fish II projects in the region, identify and implement corrective actions;
  2. Describe the revised ACP Fish II monitoring and evaluation system, complete Project Evaluation Grids and score indicators accordingly; and
  3. Expose Participants to selected fishery realities in Rwanda.

It will be divided into three parts:

  1. ACP Fish II Programme Monitoring (morning and early afternoon of first day);
  2. Training in Monitoring and Evaluation (late afternoon of first day and second day);
  3. Field visit in nearby fisheries and fish farms (third and last day).

The Programme continues to follow a participatory approach through which ACP countries are involved in identifying, formulating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating assignments. From the Programme Management’s point of view, regional workshops are a good example of the participatory and demand-driven approach adopted by ACP FishII and it will be the basis for its success. All countries in the Eastern Africa Region have worked together and with the Programme, to define needs and priorities related to fisheries policies and management. The projects were proposed and further on validated under working groups and regional workshops and all views were shared and taken into consideration.

The forthcoming Regional Workshop is very important because many projects are now being implemented and the duties in following them up are everybody’s task, especially following the monitoring and evaluation system the Programme has recently developed. The structure of the Programme is based on the same participatory model: the Coordination Unit, in Brussels, in coordination with the ACP Secretariat and the EC, launches and monitors all ACP FishII projects that had been validated by the beneficiary countries; the Regional Facilitation Units, in collaboration with the target Fisheries Administrations through the Focal Points they had nominated, monitor and supervise project implementation in the field.

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