S
I O F
P
OUTH WEST NDIAN
CEAN
ISHERIES
ROGRAMME
(SWIOFP)
NEWSFLASH 17: January 2006

An occasional newsletter to update



membe
rs of SW IOFP o
n current



developments.

























This first newsflash of 2006 brings with it best wishes for 2006 from the
SWIOFP secretariat.
The SWIOFP Project Appraisal Document was finalised at the 5th Plenary and a
range of associated actions were implemented to guide SWIOFP to its
implementation phase. This newsflash reports on the latest developments



ADMINISTRATION
The secretariat in Maputo has continued to provide administrative and logistic support to
SWIOFP, including the organization of the 5th Plenary and various follow-on activities. As
SWIOFP management will move to Kenya through its hosting of the Regional Coordinating
Unit, so the administration at IIP will be scaled down accordingly during the course of 2006.




PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Final (5th Plenary meeting)
Maputo- 14-16 September 2005
This well attended and comprehensive meeting saw the finalization of the PAD and endorsement by
senior participating governmental representatives. The meeting was hosted by the Instituto
Investigaçao Pesquira (IIP) in Mozambique and opened by Vice Minister of Fisheries, the honourable
Mr Victor Borges. The minister stressed the need for collaboration and congratulated all the
participants on their outstanding achievement in developing the SWIOFP plan.
Specific highlights included:
· Finalization of the basic management structure of SWIOFP and the interface between the various
components.
· Detailed deliberations on the final version of the MOU that will establish the working protocols
between partner nations and the Regional Management Unit (RMU) in Kenya.
· Based on a comprehensive financial assessment it was noted that there existed a considerable
finance gap if all of the SWIOFP objectives and components are to be undertaken. It was agreed
that a separate initiative be launched to address this issue.
· Acknowledgement that more of the documentation needed to be translated into French and/or
Portuguese to engender wider involvement
· Discussions on the practical interface between the other GEF projects (ASLME & WIO-LaB) and
specifically the need to develop a joint TDA and SAP.
· The need for developing "Science Component Working Groups" early in 2006 to ensure that
planning, budgeting and scientific products of SWIOFP were given due attention.
· A number of important potential partner organizations contributed, including the Indian Ocean
Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the Indian Ocean Commission (COI).
· The critical interface between SWIOFP and the FAO ­ SWIO Fisheries Commission was
strengthened and various strategies for closer collaboration were identified, especially in terms of
the long-term regional management of fishery resources.

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· The level of participation by the different countries in each of the science components was slightly
modified following more detailed deliberations.
· Details of the various RMU posts were debated and preliminary job descriptions and recruiting
procedures were finalised. These include Regional Executive Secretary, Financial Manager and a
Procurement Specialist.



Operational relationships of SWIOFP ....
Regional Policy and Steering Committee
Annual P.S.- level representation
Delegates authority
for day to day Mgt.
Government of
Reporting
Kenya - KMFRI
Requirement at
Component level
Day to day mgt.
& supervision
Regional Management Unit
·Regional executive secretary
·Procurement manager
·Financial manager
·Ships manager
National units
Components



MOU- finalization
Following on from the 5th Plenary, a number of individuals were tasked to finalise the Legal Protocol
Document (MOU) relating to SWIOFP implementation. This was led by Marius Diemont (MCM-
South Africa) and Alberto Ninio (World Bank) and involved a series of telephonic and email
interactions between the partners. After several iterations a final MOU was developed and will be
signed by the respective governments.


Finances
The PAD was subjected to considerable peer review and comment in several quarters. As a result of
this process many useful comments and ideas were incorporated into the PAD before final submission
to the GEF Council. Here it was formally approved and fund allocation confirmed. However, it also
became clear that the full scope of SWIOFP activities required more funding than was available at this
stage. A review undertaken by the SWIOFP team revealed that an additional sum of ~10 million US$
was needed. Accordingly, a team was established to resolve this finance gap by targeting specific
donors that have a commitment to the region. This activity is to be led by Kenya and will involve a
series of donor meetings in February 2006. Once this has been successfully concluded the full amount
of funding will be released.





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Assistance with donor meetings
The donor meetings are scheduled for the second week of February and to be held in Nairobi,
Dar es Salaam and Maputo. Documents have been prepared and potential donors identified. A
special request is extended to SWIOFP country partners to enlist short memos of support from
their relevant ministries or host organizations in that country. If these can be emailed to the
team at KMFRI, this will assist in demonstrating the wide international support for the
project. It would also be useful to familiarise "favourite" donors with the SWIOFP objectives
and so encourage their support. Details can be mailed to kruwa@kmfri.co.ke.


Updated Table of Activities reflecting approximate time schedules

INTERIM PROGRESS & PLANS
Task / Theme
Action
Status
Deadline

5th Plenary minutes circulated
Done

Maintain SWIOFP website &
Ongoing
Ongoing
newsflash.
Donor meeting to secure finance gap
Planned
Feb 2006
Interface with other WIO projects;
Ongoing
Ongoing
establish links
Project admin transfer to Kenya
Underway
Progressive to mid-
2006
Science Plan
Create Science working groups
Planned
Mid-2006
(MCM-S.Af.r)
Develop Legal protocol (MOU)
Complete
-
Advertise posts
Underway
February 2006-
Data Management
Lead donor meeting activities
Underway
April 2006
(KMFRI-Kenya)
Finalise data management structures
Underway
Mid 2006
Operations &
Finalise and update procurement plan
Complete
-
Procurement



(TAFIRI- Tanzania)
Legal issues



(France)



Project



management



(Madagascar)
Ensure verification of support for
Achieved- except for
Sustain
National Focal
project.
South Africa
Points
Implement national SWIOFP
Urgent
March 06
(countries)
working groups to develop activities.

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Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira (IIP)
SWIOFP coordinator
Maputo, Mozambique
Tel: + 258 21 490536 / 490307 / 499963
Fax + 258 21 492112
Email: swiofp@moziip.org
Web: www.swiofp.org

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