SADCC regional fisheries development project (690-0215.12) : project assistance completion report

The project was implemented by USAID/Malawi. The project achieved its research and training objectives. Two technical studies, on the Regional Fisheries Training Center and regional documentation, were completed and are expected to attract donor funding. Eight seminars/workshops were supported by project funds, and fishery experts from the SADCC region were brought together for 14 meetings to identify common problems, solutions, and strategies. In addition, a network of communication has been established among SADCC fisheries experts. Three major lessons were learned. (1) Regional programs can be seriously constrained by the need to reach consensus and compromise among members. (2) A regional program can be used to identify common problems affecting members, but projects to resolve those problems must be planned bilaterally, as solutions to the problems may not be common to all members. (3) SADCC's Department of Fisheries had weak management, since it had relied heavily on expatriates to manage its programs. When their contracts ended, they left behind an organization unable to carry out its mandate. An implementing agency that relies heavily on expatriates is a potentially weak organization, and A.I.D. should take this into account when funding future programs.