NEWSFLASH 19: November 2006
An occasiona
l newsletter to update
participants in
SWIOFP on current

developments.

While the project appraisal document was being finalised, the grant agreements
were being actively negotiated, a project implementation manual was being
developed and activities of some SWIOFP Components were being planned in
greater detail. Although the negotiations have taken considerably longer than
planned, the Project is still on track to commence with Component 1 starting
early in 2007. This newsflash details some of these developments.

ADMINISTRATION

The administration of the SWIOFP development phase managed by Instituto Nacional de Investigação
Pesqueira in Mozambique has come to an end. The secretariat in Maputo delivered a highly credible
and professional service that played a significant part in the successful development of the project
plan. The administration has now transferred to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
(KMFRI) in Mombasa, which will host the Regional Management Unit (RMU). As the various
obstacles in grant agreement negotiations have delayed the release of funds, the RMU has not yet been
formally established. However, communications can be directed to KMFRI as reflected at the end of
this Newsflash.

In order to sustain momentum and to ensure that the Project commences on time, it has been proposed
that one of the participating countries could second a senior staff member to KMFRI to initiate the
various RMU activities. This would be a temporary arrangement and would further assist in the
selection and appointment of the Executive Secretary and other staff planned to run the RMU.
Accordingly, a request has gone out for such a secondment and several good candidates have made
themselves available and will now pass through a selection process.

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

WEB SITE
The website of SWIOFP has been completely revised to reflect the change from project development
to implementation. ORI, in collaboration with IIP and the Durban based Blue-Box company were
instrumental in this revision. Please visit www.swiofp.org and give some feedback. In time this site
will be an important mechanism for communication.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION MANUAL - PIM
A prerequisite of any GEF-World Bank project is the development of a project implementation
manual. This PIM provides guidance to the RMU and project managers in the implementation of
SWIOFP and is designed to strengthen financial management, monitoring and evaluation.
Development of the PIM was largely undertaken by Dave Japp (Capfish) in collaboration with
KMFRI. Johan Groeneveld , Rudy van der Elst (ORI) and Melissa Brown (FAO) contributed
substantially to this process.

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GRANT AND PROJECT AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS
It is not surprising that the various negotiations have taken much longer than planned. The large
number of countries involved and the many new concepts and agreements to be negotiated at high
political level, pose substantial challenges. In effect, there is more to these negotiations than simple
agreement to support the Project, it calls for a longer­term commitment to shared management of
WIO marine resources. However, there has been good progress and the following table reflects the
current status of these negotiations.

Task
Current Status
Proposed Action

1 Grant Agreement Negotiation with
Completed
Kenya
2 Minutes of Grant Agreement Signed Completed
by Government of Kenya and Bank.
3 Approval of the GEF Grant by the
Completed
GEF Council.
4 Final Approval of the GEF Grant by Pending
Package completed and has been
the GEF Chief Exec. Officer.
submitted
5 Project Agreement Negotiations and

MOU approval with countries.

Seychelles
Comments received,
Government to sign Minutes of
minutes prepared, package Project Agreement and
to Government
Negotiations

Comoros
Comments received,
Government to sign Minutes of
minutes prepared, package Project Agreement and
to Government
Negotiations

Madagascar
Comments received
Government to sign Minutes of
minutes prepared, package Project Agreement and
to Government
Negotiations

South Africa
Package to Government
Form negotiation team, send
legal opinion needed;
comments, sign agreements and
awaiting response
minutes of negotiations.


Tanzania
Packaged reviewed by
P.S. to send package to

Zanzibar & mainland,
Government for review, sign
comments received
minutes

Kenya
MOU to Attorney Generals Government to comment &/or

Office for review
sign MOU-same for all countries


Mauritius
Negotiation team met &
Negotiation finalised and
sent comments, more
documents submitted;
comments to come
Government to sign in 1 week.

Mozambique
Negotiation team formed,
Finalize negotiation, draft
awaiting comments on
minutes and Government to sign
package
6 Submission to Bank Board of
Awaiting all project
Must get all documents to Board
Directors for Approval
agreements, negotiations
at least 1 month before decision
and minutes to be signed.

7 Submit Project Brief to CEO of the
Achieved this week and

GEF for final authorization
awaiting approval
8 Declaration of Project

Set up; Regional/National Units
"EFFECTIVENESS"
operational; Project Accounts
opened, Full implementation.

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SOUTH WEST INDIAN OCEAN FISHERIES COMMISSION (SWIOFC)
The second session of this FAO Regional Fisheries Body was held under the chairmanship of
Mozambique in Maputo from 22 to 25 August 2006. This proved to be an important meeting for
SWIOFP and was well attended by SWIOFP members. The proceedings and associated documents
can be accessed as follows. The pre-meeting documents are submissions to the meeting and thus
intended for information only while the record of the meeting is in final draft until it is published
formally by FAO. These documents will be made available on the SWIOFP website
(www.swiofp.org/swiofc.htm). The Commission secretariat also provided an extensive set of records
and data from the earlier South West Indian Ocean Project (SWIOP), reflecting results from WIO
research cruises. These data represent an important early contribution to Component 1.

Of considerable significance to SWIOFP was the final set of recommendations which strongly
endorsed the development of SWIOFP and called on member countries to support several of its
Component activities. These are positive developments that will ultimately strengthen collaboration
between SWIOFP and the Commission, leading to improved prospects of transboundary collaboration
in fishery resource management of the WIO.

SWIOFP ­ Products
It is envisaged that SWIOFP will become known as a project that generates good products in the form
of publications, information, advice and students. Several of the SWIOFP members have already
collaborated to compile scientific papers documenting the development of SWIOFP. Aspects of these
were presented at the recent IOTC meeting and others have already been submitted to international
journals.

The WIOFish database, reflecting details of 163 different fisheries in the WIO has been further
upgraded and annotated by ORI and the various participating focal points. The system is now fully
web-based and allows for report generation and browsing of individual records. ORI undertook a
formal training exercise in the region to ensure that focal points could themselves sustain some of the
WIOFish operations. Visit www.wiofish.org

CONTACT:
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
(KMFRI)
Regional Management Unit: SWIOFP
Mombasa, Kenya
kruwa@kmfri.co.ke.

[Additional information can also be obtained from rudy@ori.org.za ]
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