1. The Workshop on the Harmonization of Marine Fisheries Policy within Coastal Countries of Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held at the Zanzibar Safari Resort, Uroa Beach, Zanzibar, at the kind invitation of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, from 24 to 27 July 2001.
2. The workshop was attended by participants from the SADC coastal member States of Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania together with resource persons from FAO, INFOPÊCHE and the SADC Marine Fisheries and Resources Sector Co-ordinating Unit. The list of participants and resource persons is given in Appendix B.
3. During the opening ceremony statements were made by Honourable Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Mussa Ame Silima, Mr Omesh Khanna, the FAO representative in Tanzania and Mrs Hilda Khoeses, the Sector Co-ordinator of the SADC Marine Fisheries and Resources Unit.
4. Ms Hilda Khoeses, the Sector Co-ordinator of the Marine Fisheries Resources welcomed all participants and conveyed them greetings from Dr Iyambo, the Chairman of the Marine Fisheries Resources Sector. She thanked the Zanzibar government for agreeing to host this important workshop.
5. She briefed the participants on the progress in the sector such as the completion of the Protocol on Fisheries for both inland and marine fisheries sector. On adoption and signature by Heads of States and Government, the Protocol will become the core of the policy for the SADC Fisheries Sector.
6. She listed the projects that the Unit was currently managing; the BENEFIT programme and the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) on the west coast; the Regional Fisheries Information System (RFIS), funded by DFID and the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) programme, funded by EU (EDF). The total value of projects in the current SADC portfolio for the next five years exceeded 60 million US$.
7. It was expected that these projects would contribute to the realisation of the strategy that would emerge from the Policy Harmonization workshop and would be to the benefit of the region. Ms Khoeses encouraged the participants to come up with a practical action plan for implementing the policy Harmonization project in SADC member countries in the relative short to medium.
8. Ms Khoeses also informed participants of the SADC institution restructuring process, which would involve strengthening of the SADC Secretariat based in Gaborone and the phasing out of the Sector Co-ordinating Units within the following two years. The member countries were therefore encouraged to ensure that Fisheries was clearly identified as a specific sector within the new structures and that specialised and experienced technical persons would be recruited to perform the required duties. The speech is attached as Appendix C to the report.
9. Mr Omesh Khanna, the FAO Country Representative welcomed the participants on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, the Assistant Director - General, Fisheries Department, Mr Ichiro Nomura, and the Sub-regional Representative for Southern and Eastern Africa, Ms Victoria Sekitoleko. He stated that the workshop was the result of the continuing close collaboration between the SADC Marine Fisheries Sector and FAO. He traced the origins and objectives of the current project and its contribution in the process of elaborating the detail of the SADC Fisheries Protocol which is the over-arching instrument guiding the regional aspirations, relationships and responsibilities of SADC member countries in fisheries. The workshop had a catalysing role in bringing together a strategy for Harmoniza- tion and insight into the ways in which FAO and other Agencies could support SADC in the adoption of the responsible fisheries principles set forth in the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the SADC Fisheries Protocol.
10. The Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Mussa Ame Silima described the workshop as a momentous occasion where SADC countries were charting out a new era of multilateral common strategies. The SADC countries anticipated a promising future for their fisheries industry. He hoped that the deliberations lead to better resource management and hence economic well - being.
11. The Chief Minister of Zanzibar, Honourable Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha welcomed the delegates to Zanzibar and officially opened the Workshop. In his speech, Mr. Nahodha stated that as the workshop is part of the implementation process of SADC Treaty, there was a crucial need to call for greater economic Co-operation between member states. Thus, there should be great interest in the exchange of fisheries information, capital and technology within the region creating a sound environment in marketing and education. In order to achieve this important role, there was a need to adjust investment policies and regulations to attract investors. The speech is attached as Appendix C to the report.
