Alignment of National Fisheries Aquaculture Strategies Consultant

Background Information

The Assignment

This consultancy aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. To assess and align national fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategies with the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy (PFRS) for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa and relevant international instruments.
2. To review national frameworks in order to propose specific recommendations for the alignment and domestication of global instruments and international conventions.
3. To support African Union Member States (AU-MS) in developing and implementing fisheries and aquaculture strategies and National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) that align with the PFRS and climate adaptation goals. This also includes establishing peer-review and twinning mechanisms to strengthen sectoral coherence and policy capacity in line with the PFRS.

Contracting authority

AU-IBAR is a specialized technical office under the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission (AUC), tasked with coordinating and supporting the use of animal resources—including livestock, fisheries, aquaculture, and wildlife—for economic development and human well-being across AU Member States. Its Strategic Plan envisions an Africa where animal resources significantly contribute to integration, prosperity, and peace.

AU-IBAR’s fisheries and aquaculture work is guided by the PFRS, developed in response to recommendations from the first and second Conferences of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CAMFA I & II), and endorsed at the 2014 African Union Summit in Malabo. The PFRS aims to improve governance in the sector to enhance its contribution to food security, livelihoods, and wealth creation. It is aligned with the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Africa Blue Economy Strategy, which promotes an inclusive and sustainable blue economy.
One of the statutory roles of the AUC is to draft common positions and coordinate AU Member States’ engagement in international negotiations. In the fisheries sector, some progress has been made in ratifying and implementing global instruments such as the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), and the UN Fish Stock Agreement (UNFSA), as well as regional and continental instruments.
Nevertheless, further efforts are needed to encourage AU Member States to ratify and implement relevant instruments.

 This requires :

1. Capacity-building support.
2. Monitoring mechanisms to track implementation progress.
3. Studies to identify opportunities and changes related to global instruments—building on awareness created under FishGov1.
4. Actions to strengthen compliance frameworks.

Background

 Africa’s fisheries sector produces over 11 million tonnes of fish annually, employs over 12 million people, and contributes approximately 1.24% to the continent’s GDP. It plays a vital role in ensuring food and nutritional security for over 200 million Africans and serves as a primary livelihood source for many rural communities. The sector holds substantial potential for reducing poverty and promoting rural development.
However, ongoing challenges such as resource decline, post-harvest losses, and weak governance have impeded the sector’s full contribution to sustainable development. The need for reform has been highlighted through various high-level political commitments, including the WSSD target to restore fisheries to maximum sustainable yields by 2015, the Abuja Declaration from the Fish for All Summit, and CAMFA resolutions. These efforts have led to the establishment of the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM) and the development of the PFRS.
In support of these initiatives, AU-IBAR facilitated a consultative process to develop the ‘Guide for the Implementation of the PFRS’, involving stakeholders such as AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), regional institutions, non-state actors (NSAs), and development partners. This Guide serves as a complementary document to the PFRS, offering practical implementation direction.
Following the success of FishGov1, the EU-supported second phase—FishGov2 (“Enhancing sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture development in Africa”)—was launched to accelerate sectoral reform. The programme contributes to AU Agenda 2063 by advancing food security, livelihoods, and economic development. It focuses on implementing the principles and goals of the PFRS, AFRM, and associated declarations.

Current situation in the sector

While some progress has been made in the ratification and implementation of international fisheries-related instruments, such as the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF), the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA), and various regional charters—significant gaps remain. Continued support is needed for AU Member States to fully domesticate and operationalize these instruments. This requires capacity building, research and studies to consolidate knowledge, effective monitoring systems, and mechanisms to ensure compliance.
Despite progress, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Africa continue to face major constraints, including weak governance, underinvestment, environmental degradation, and increasing climate-related threats. Habitat loss, the destruction of fish breeding grounds, and adverse weather impacts on aquaculture infrastructure are all undermining rural livelihoods and national development efforts. Small-scale fishers, who often rely on traditional processing methods such as smoking and sun-drying, are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts—contributing not only to livelihood insecurity but also to deforestation and increased carbon emissions.
These challenges hinder the sector’s ability to meet sanitary, safety, and market standards, thereby limiting its contribution to national GDP, food security, and climate resilience. A persistent lack of targeted investment in addressing climate change and environmental degradation across the fisheries and aquaculture value chain continues to threaten both sustainability and economic viability.
To close these gaps, National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) and Regional Agricultural Investment Plans (RAIPs) must be reviewed and updated to align with the PFRS and to integrate environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation strategies. This alignment will help improve the sector’s resilience and ensure long-term sustainability. The outcomes of this consultancy will be critical in enhancing policy coherence, promoting peer learning through country twinning, and supporting the development of realistic policies and budgeting frameworks.
One of the strategic objectives of the FishGov2 Project is to strengthen the capacities of Member States, RECs, and Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) to develop coherent, realistic, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture policies, aligned with the PFRS. To this end, one of the core activities is the commissioning of consultancies to review national policies, legal frameworks, and agricultural investment plans. This effort aims to ensure alignment with the PFRS, integrate climate change adaptation, and promote coherent sector governance. It also includes the formulation of recommendations to support the domestication of relevant global instruments.
Nearly fifteen countries have already benefited from this initiative. In light of its positive impact, it has been agreed to extend the support to ten additional African Union Member States which are the subject of these Terms of Reference. In this regard, AU-IBAR, under the FishGov2 Project, seeks to identify and engage national consultants in these ten countries. The consultants will support the alignment of national fisheries and aquaculture policies, assess the domestication of global instruments, and ensure that National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) reflect the priorities outlined in the PFRS and incorporate climate adaptation frameworks.
The Consultancies for Alignment of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Strategies and the National Agricultural Investment Plans to the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa and Climate-Change Adaptation, including the Formulation of Recommendations for Domestication of Relevant Global Instruments, would target in the initial stage the following African Union Member States:

No.	AU Member States for Technical Assistance
1.	Arab Republic of Egypt
2.	Republic of Senegal
3.	Union of the Comoros
4.	Republic of Uganda
5.	Togolese Republic

Objectives, Purpose & Expected Results

Overall objectives

The overarching objective of this consultancy is to ensure that national fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategies are aligned with the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy (PFRS) for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa, as well as relevant international instruments. The consultancy will also make specific recommendations for the domestication of global instruments and assess the extent to which AU Member States have aligned their National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) with fisheries and aquaculture strategies, the PFRS, environmental management, and climate change adaptation plans.

Purpose and Specific Objectives

The purpose of this contract is to:

1. Produce a revised national fisheries and aquaculture policy/ strategy
2. Facilitate the analysis of national fisheries and aquaculture policies and relevant international instruments;
3. Review (but not exclusively): 

a) Global, continental and regional best practices for promoting and implementing climate-smart fisheries and aquaculture.  
b) National and regional fisheries and aquaculture sectoral plans, NAIPS, national and regional CAADP compacts, climate-change national action plans and related documents on best practices for integrating climate change into the fisheries and aquaculture sector. 
c) From the review, compile a list of indicators relevant for assessing climate-smart fisheries-aquaculture development in Africa.
d) Undertake a SWOT analysis to assess the extent to which the PFRS and climate change has been mainstreamed into NAIPs and the impacts thereof based on PFRS Implementation Guidelines and CAADP compacts.
e)Compile national success stories as case studies demonstrating the benefits and challenges associated with mainstreaming climate-change into the fisheries-aquaculture industry for lessons learning and knowing sharing. 
f) Recommendations for the way forward showing options for policy, resource mobilization and building partnerships to promote the adoption and implementation of climate-smart environmentally sustainable fisheries-aquaculture development aligned to the PFRS among AU-MS and other stakeholder initiatives within the industry. 
g) Prepare documentation on mainstreamed on NAPIS with fisheries and aquaculture mainstreamed.
h) Organize and facilitate stakeholder validation workshops.  

Results to be achieved by the selected national consultant

1.  Final consultancy report highlighting the outcomes of the policy review, the policy gaps and issues for the reforms of the fisheries and aquaculture, the best practices and lessons learnt and the policy intervention entry points.
2. Consultancy report highlighting the outcomes of the policy analysis, priority instruments and strategies for effective participation as well as specific recommendations for implementation, ratification and domestication of relevant instruments and the policy intervention entry points.
3. A report on the status of alignment of the country’s NAIP to national fisheries and aquaculture policies and strategies, the PFRS and national environmental management and climate-change change adaptation strategies highlighting the implications for the sectors sustainable development and recommendations.
4. Final Technical Report incorporating inputs from stakeholder’s validation workshop to be produced 15 days maximum after the workshop.
5. National stakeholder validation workshop organized and facilitated.

Assumptions & Risks

Assumptions underlying the project 
The success of this project will depend on the commitment of AU MS to share information on their fisheries and aquaculture strategies and investment plans, NAIPs climate-change adaption action plans for the fisheries-aquaculture sector and relevant status reports. It will also depend on the availability and quality of relevant national and regional data/information on fisheries-aquaculture, environmental management and climate-change. 

Risks

1. Poor commitment by specialized institutions and relevant organizations towards the implementation of the assignment, inadequate institutional or human resource capacity or unwillingness to participate or contribute relevant information.
2. Availability of key informants and accessibility to relevant data and documents for within the stipulated time frame of the assignment.
3. Unpredictable events affecting the availability of key informants and organisation of consultative workshop(s).

Scope of Work

General 

The contract is within the overall broad theme of ensuring fisheries and aquaculture policies in Africa are coherent with the PFRS and coordinated at continental, regional and national levels in order to maintain healthy, productive and resilient marine, coastal and freshwater ecosystems in the context of climate change. 
Among the major challenges undermining Africa’s effort for sustainably increasing the contribution of its fisheries and aquaculture sector to food security, increased livelihood and wealth creation among others is the capability of AU MS and RECs to implement policy reforms. The FISHGOV II project endeavours to address this by strengthening the capacity of AU MS and RECs develop the rational strategies and investments to facilitate coherence and effective implementation of the PFRS anchored onto global and continental best practices, so that national, regional and continental sectoral goals can be achieved.  
Consequently, the main goal of the assignment is to assess the extent to which the PFRS and climate-resilience have effectively been mainstreamed into fisheries and aquaculture sectoral plans; and accordingly, into NAIPS, RAIPS and other investment programs.   
To achieve these goals, the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), through the provision of the EU funded Fisheries governance phase 2 (FishGov 2) project in collaboration with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) is through due diligence seeking to identify and engage suitably and appropriately qualified national consultant to assess the to Establish whether the PFRS, environmental sustainability and climate-resilience have been mainstreamed into national fisheries and aquaculture sectoral plans; and accordingly into NAIPS and other national investment programs.
The selected individual consultant for each of the AU member states may be invited to share their findings at national and/or regional consultative validations workshops organised by AU-IBAR in a selected AU-MS. 

Geographical area to be covered

The coverage of this contract will be national in approach and undertaken in liaison with relevant national institutions. 

Target groups

National authorities and institutions involved in fisheries and aquaculture management and planning, natural resource and environmental management climate-change adaptation and national development planning and monitoring.

Specific work

The consultant for each of the AU member states will carry out the following specific activities to meet the expected outcomes and produce a comprehensive report:

Alignment of National Policy to PFRS

1. Meeting with the relevant stakeholders at national level and where possible at regional level (e.g. RFOs, RECs, etc);
2. Analyze relevant documents (national policy, strategies and legislative/regulatory frameworks) using the Guide for implementation of the PFRS developed by AU-IBAR, with reference to the preliminary analysis that has been done by the ACECOR (University of Cape Coast) on policy alignment and also ensuring adoption of relevant international best practices.
3. Identify policy gaps and key issues for the reforms of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
4. Document best practices (including critical enablers) and lessons leant from the implementation of current or past policies and strategies.
5. Propose policy intervention entry points and priority actions to fast track the reforms for coherence/alignment to the PFRS.
6. Prepare in close consultation with the National Departments of Fisheries, or the National Competent Authorities responsible for Fisheries the draft revised National Fisheries Policy/strategy that is coherent with PFRS.
7. Facilitate a stakeholder’s consultation to validate the draft document, ensuring uptake and ownership by national stakeholders.

Recommendations for alignment and domestication of global instruments and relevant international conventions.

1. Organize consultations with the relevant national authorities and stakeholders at national level and where possible at regional level (e.g. RFOs, RECs, etc)
2. Analyze relevant documents (national policy, strategies and legislative/regulatory frameworks) with reference to the preliminary analysis and findings that has been done by the African Center of Excellence for Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana on Mechanisms to Facilitate the Domestication of Global Instruments and Initiatives at Continental, Regional and National Levels.
3. Identify and analyze priority instruments and initiatives and outline strategies for effective participation.
4. Develop a mechanism with specific recommendations for implementation, ratification and domestication of relevant instruments.
5. Facilitate a national stakeholder’s consultative workshop in close consultation with AU-IBAR and the National Departments of Fisheries, or the National Competent Authorities responsible for Fisheries to validate the draft document, ensuring uptake and ownership by national stakeholders.

Alignment of NAIPs to fisheries and aquaculture strategies and investment plans to the PFRS, environmental management and climate-change adaptation action plans.

1. A detailed and comprehensive inception briefing with relevant AU-IBAR staff to agree on expectations and provide clarity on any outstanding issues.
2. A desk review of international, continental and national documents including AU policy instruments and strategies relevant to this Contract area, such as (but not exclusive) including the Comprehensive Africa Aquaculture Development Program (CAADP), the PFRS, Africa Blue Economy Strategy, Regional and National fisheries management and aquaculture development policies, plans and programs, NAIPs/RAIPs, CAADP compacts, environmental management and climate-change adaptation. This process must also take into full account the preliminary analyses and findings generated by African Centre’s of Excellence, including Rhodes University and the Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research (CLAR), particularly those relating to climate change impacts and the formulation of mitigation measures within the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
3. An evaluation of the extent to which the country has mainstreamed the PFRS, environmental sustainability and climate-change resilience into its (adaptation) fisheries and aquaculture sectoral strategies, and NAIPS other investment programs within the country.
4. For best practices, liaise with national institutions such as departments of fisheries and aquaculture, water development, environmental management and development planning and monitoring especially in relation to the CAADP to identify key informants, sectoral documents and relevant data for the Contract.
5. Undertake a situation analysis highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) affecting the mainstreaming and implementation of climate-smart environmental sustainability fisheries-aquaculture within AU-MS and RECs.  

Project management

Responsible body

This contract shall be managed by AU-IBAR. Activities will be supervised by the Senior Fisheries Officer or/and Fisheries and aquaculture resources management expert in AU-IBAR who shall also be responsible for the review and approval of reports and deliverables under this contract.

Management structure

The contracting authority of this contract is AU-IBAR. The project is implemented in partnership with AUDA-NEPAD and is supervised by a Project Steering Committee (PSC). The latter provides supervisory and advisory guidance and may make recommendations on project deliverables where deemed necessary.

Logistics and Timing

Location

This contract will largely be performed remotely from the selected candidate’s home base. 

Duration

 The duration of this consultancy is a maximum period of 30 days.  

Requirements

Qualifications and skills 

The successful national consultant for each of the AU member states is required to have a post graduate degree in fisheries, aquaculture, agricultural/fisheries economics or related disciplines such as natural resources/agricultural science/biological sciences. Qualifications and skills in agricultural policy and/or agriculture finance would be an advantage.  

General professional experience

The candidate should have:

1. Proven experience of knowledge in conducting related studies on fisheries, aquaculture and/or in related agricultural and environmental sub-sectors.
2. Good understanding of fisheries-aquaculture-related environmental sustainability and climate-change issues with demonstrated knowledge of AU policy instruments and strategies relevant to this contract, such as the CAADP, the PFRS and Africa Blue Economy Strategy.
3. Evidence of having undertaken related consultancies, projects on behalf of development partners and organizations in the last 10 years.
4. Record of familiarization with institutions (national, regional and continental) with mandates in fisheries-aquaculture or related disciplines at national, regional and continental levels in Africa.
5. Proven skills and ability to facilitate the consultation process.
6. Evidence of working with or knowledge of stakeholders, including NSAs, in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Africa.

Specific professional experience 

1. Demonstrated evidence in supporting the development, implementation and/or evaluation of sectoral policies, strategies, investment plans and/or programs in sustainable fisheries management, sustainable commercial aquaculture development, environmental management climate-change adaptation including with CAADP compacts, NAIPS and RAIPs.
2. Evidence of being adequately, appropriately qualified and experienced in fisheries, aquaculture or related disciplines especially in the areas of policy making, strategic planning, investment planning and/or monitoring and evaluation of performance of sectoral policies, programs and investments.
3. Proven record of undertaken similar policy-oriented studies, training, conducting research, investigation and publications in fisheries, aquaculture or related fields.
4. Demonstrated capacity for organizing and conduction stakeholder consultative processes including workshops.

Other essential skills:

1. Record of good writing skills and scientific publications in relevant fields or disciplines in blue economy.
2. Record of delivery assignment within tight schedules.
3. Proficiency in AU Languages

Detailed Technical Evaluation (of the eligible, compliant Bids)

Bids will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Criteria	Scores
Qualifications	20
General experience	25
Specific experience	40
Other Skills	10
Proficiency in AU Languages	5
Total	100

Support staff & Backstopping

The consultant may arrange appropriate support to facilitate timely delivery of the assignment. The consultant’s organization is expected to provide backstopping where necessary. 

Office accommodation

There will be no requirement for office accommodation as the assignment will largely be a desk-based online assignment.  

Incidental Expenditure

There are no incidental expenses envisaged under this contract. Any travel and subsistence costs for missions foreseen in the terms of reference will be covered separately by the contracting authority according to its established procedures. AU-IBAR will take responsibility for all the cost implications related to the organization of the applicable Experts Consultative and Validation Workshops. 

Reports and Payment Schedules 

Reporting requirements

Each report must consist of a narrative section.

Submission & Approval of Reports

Reports should be submitted in MSWord and PDF versions to the Project Manager identified in the contract. The reports must be in English or, where applicable, any of the African Union Official Languages. The Project Manager is responsible for approving the reports.

Remuneration

The maximum budget for each consultancy, i.e. per member state, shall not exceed USD 4,500. 
Payments for fees due shall be made upon approval of all deliverables and reports. Any costs related to travel will require the prior approval of AU-IBAR and will be covered separately by AU-IBAR in accordance with the AUC Travel Policy in force at the time.

Disclaimer

All data, information and reports generated from the consultancy are intellectual property of AU-IBAR.

Submission of Applications

Applications should be submitted through email to: procurement@au-ibar.org with a copy to albert.obiero@au-ibar.org and should include the title “Consultancy Service for Alignment of National Fisheries & Aquaculture Strategies for Egypt / Togo / Comoros / Uganda / Senegal” in the subject of the email.

Applications should include the following

1. Detailed curriculum vitae (CV) and brief cover letter.
2. Copies of academic and professional certification documents.
3. Declaration on exclusion criteria (see format attached).
4. Identification documents.

A Personal Data Protection and Privacy Statement is attached as information for the applicants.

Application Deadline

Applications should be submitted to the address given above by 04^th September 2025 at 23:45hrs (11:45pm) Nairobi Local Time.