Fourth and Final ACP Fish II Regional Monitoring workshop for the Western African region

The ACP Fish II Programme is an important cooperation tool between the European Union and the ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific) countries aiming to reinforce fisheries management in these countries. The overall objective of this EUR 30 millionProgramme 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 States

The Fourth and Final ACP Fish II Regional Monitoring workshop for the Western African region –Banjul, Gambia is schedule to take place from 18-20 September 2013 at the Laico Atlantic Hotel

ACP Fish II is a demand driven Programme financed under the 9th European Development Fund aiming at strengthening fisheries management in ACP countries.ACP countries and their Regional Fisheries Management Bodies were the entities that identified the needs to be covered and supported by the Programme’s 5 components. The ACP Fish II was not conceived as a top-down initiative, it was rather a Programme that tried to respond to the requests coming from the beneficiary states and organizations, through a participatory planning exercise.

The expected results of the Programme, which coincide with the Programme components, are:

1. Improved fisheries policies and management plans at regional and national levels
2. Reinforced control and enforcement capabilities
3. Reinforced national and regional research strategies and initiatives
4. Developed business supportive regulatory frameworks and private sector investment
5. Increased knowledge sharing on fisheries management and trade at regional level

183 capacity building projects were planned and implemented through the ACP region from 2009 to 2014. Of these, 37 targetedWestern Africa Region (20%).

PROJECTS IN WESTERN AFRICA:

Fisheries is an extremely important sector in Western Africa due to the multiple roles that it plays, including: contribution to the creation of national wealth through the money generated from the exportation of fish products, notably to the European market; the creation of employment on both the small-scale and industrial levels: its large contribution to food security.

The Western Africa region as a whole and each individual country has benefited from the ACP Fish II Programme through individual projects focused on the following areas:

·         Fisheries policies: regional and national approach (10 projects)

·         Stakeholder and public awareness (1 project)

·         Enforcement and IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing (8 projects)

·         Aquaculture (1 project)

·         Research (6 projects)

·         Regional co-management: supporting fisher folk networks (2 projects)

·         Business climate supportive (2 projects)

·         Knowledge sharing (4 projects)

In addition, the Programme organized 6 regional Workshops attended by Focal Points: representatives appointed by the fisheries administrations from all beneficiary country/organizations. In Western Africa was as follows:

The first regional workshop–In Senegal, the needs assessment workshop, marking the launch of the Programme’s activities in Western Africa, was organised on 20 and 21 October 2009, with the participation of representatives of 13 of the 16 ACP countries in the region, and the 2 RFBs, the Fishery Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) and the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC), strategic partners of the Programme.

The second workshoptook place in Accra, Ghana, 20/21 October 2010. It involved the formulation of project descriptions and validation on the overall Region Action Plan.

The 1st Programme Monitoring Workshop was held inDakar, Senegalon 10 - 11 March2011. The objectives were to review the status of implementation of projects funded under the first phase from June 2009 to May 2011 (PE1); formulate Terms of Reference/plans for projects to be implemented under the second phase June 2011 to November 2012 (PE2) and agree on the implementation plan; and share lessons learned and experiences of project implementation to-date.

The 2nd Programme Monitoring workshop and training was held in Nouakchott, Mauritania

from 13 to 16 December 2011 aimed at reviewing the status of projects completed in PE1 and project implementation in PE2; promoting ACP Fish II activities in Western Africa (Network meeting); and to build the capacity of Fisheries Officers/Administration in devising Terms of Reference within the EDF Project Cycle.

The 3rd Programme Monitoring Workshop and training was held in Cape Verde. Praia from 16 - 18 October 2012 aimed at reviewing and monitoring ongoing projects in PE2 to apply corrective actions identified; providing guidance on ACP Fish II Monitoring and Evaluation system and completing Project Evaluation Grids and score indicators; and exposing participants to selected fishery realities in the host country

The Final Programme Monitoring Workshop and closure will be held in Banjul, Gambia between the 18^th and 20^th of September 2013 at the Laico Atlantic Hotel. The workshop will gather the focal points representing the fisheries administrations involved in the implementation of the programme from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. They will be joined by representatives from the regional institutions for fisheries cooperation, in particular, the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea.

The Final Programme Monitoring Workshop will be forum where the results and outcomes of the Programme will be presented. The presentations and discussions will revolve around the follow-up of completed projects in terms of results, outcomes and impact. Moreover, during the workshop, the participants will develop a detailed list of lessons learned from Programme implementation and assess how far the Programme has been able to satisfy the needs identified in 2010 and also to identify priority needs for fisheries and aquaculture management in the region.

The representatives from the media are kindly invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Fourth and Final ACP Fish II Regional Monitoring workshop in Banjul which will take place on the 18^th of September at 9AM at the Laico Atlantic Hotel.

For further information regarding the ACP Fish II Programme and the workshop we kindly ask you to contact:

·         Mr. Matarr Bah, Focal Point for the ACP Fish II Programme in Gambia – e-mail: matarr_bah@yahoo.co.uk

·         Mr. AliouneSy, Regional Manager for the ACP Fish II Programme – 

e-mail: a.sy@acpfish2-eu.org

·         Mr. Martin FitzGerald, representative of Euro Keys, local event manager – tel: +32 496 11 43 30, e-mail: m.fitzgerald@eurokeys.com

·         www.acpfish2-eu.org