© 2018 AU-IBAR. 7th Experience Sharing Workshop on Sanitary Regulation and Enforcement; Banjul, the Gambia, 27 to 29 September 2018.The 7^th experience sharing workshop on Sanitary Regulations and Enforcement was jointly held by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources and the Pan African Parliament (PAP) from 27^th to 29^th September 2018 in Banjul, Republic of The Gambia. The workshop was chaired by Hon Aurelien Simplice Kongbelet Zingas from Central Africa Republic on behalf of the President of PAP and was moderated by Hon El Hadj Issa Azizou, PANAF Coordinator at PAP.

The workshop was opened by Hon. Momodou L. K. Sanneh, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia who underscored the importance of the animal resource sector to Africa’s agricultural transformative agenda and the critical role sanitary measures play in promoting public and animal health and the facilitation of international trade. The Hon. Deputy Speaker assured participants of African Union Member States’ commitment to support the commercialization of the sector for the socio-economic development and wellbeing of Africans. Dr. Baboucarr Jaw, Chief Animal Health Officer, on behalf of the Director of AU-IBAR, and the Representative of President of PAP also presented their statements and recommitted to supporting the establishment and strengthening of institutional structures, policies and legal frameworks to promote animal resource development in Africa. The workshop was attended by member of PAP’s Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, other Parliamentarians, staff from AU-IBAR and the Secretariat of PAP.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

• create awareness amongst the members of PAP and other Parliamentarians on AU-IBAR Programmes on animal resources and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) issues relevant for Africa.
• articulate the oversight role of Members of PAP and other Parliamentarians on SPS issues and their tracking using Monitoring and Evaluation system.

The broad conclusions of the workshop are:

© 2018 AU-IBAR. Workshop of Stakeholders for Harmonization of Methodologies for Comprehensive Fish Trade Corridor Mapping and Analysis in Africa; Naivasha – Kenya, 3rd – 5th October 2018.Introduction

An expert consultative workshop on harmonization of methodology for comprehensive fish trade corridor mapping and analysis in the five regions of Africa took place in Naivasha, Kenya from the 3^rd to the 5^th October 2018. The workshop was organized by the African Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) with support from the European Union.

The workshop was a follow-up to the EU Funded Fish Trade Project that was implemented from 2013 to 2018 by WorldFish in collaboration with AU-IBAR and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA). One of the important lessons learnt from the implementation of the Fish Trade Project was that there is a prevalence of informal fish trade in Africa along diverse trade corridors that were not within the portfolio of the Project; and therefore most AU member states with high fish production were not captured in the corridor analyses conducted. Also, North Africa was not included in the EU Fish Trade Project.

For a detailed understanding of the extent of intra-regional fish trade on the continent, it is therefore important that a comprehensive mapping of fish trade corridors be conducted in the whole of the continent, taking into account the above lessons. The outcome of this study would be critical to consolidating the achievements made by the Fisheries Governance and Fish Trade Projects in enhancing intra-regional fish trade for food security and poverty reduction on the continent.

The current initiative, which is also been funded by the EU, has therefore been conceived to conduct comprehensive mapping of cross-border fish trade corridors and analyze the characteristics of trade patterns along these corridors. The comprehensive mapping exercise is expected to contribute to knowledge and realistic policy actions towards strengthening intra-regional fish trade on the continent and contribute to the attainment of Malabo Goals on enhancing intra-regional fish trade, poverty alleviation and reducing hunger.

Five regional consultants (west, central, and east, southern and north) have been recruited to conduct the identification and mapping of fish trade corridors, trade patterns and characteristics. The consultants are tasked to identify main characteristics of the identified trade corridors, key aspects of fish trade along the corridor, and make recommendations on how to improve cross-border fish trade along the corridors.

© 2018 AU-IBAR. Atelier pour la Création d’un Comité Régional de Facilitation du Commerce Transfrontalier des Produits de la Pêche entre le Cameroun, le Gabon et la Guinée Equatoriale;Libreville 12-14 Septembre 2018.Introduction

Du 12 au 14 Septembre 2018, s’est tenu à Libreville au Gabon, l’atelier de concertation et de coordination institutionnelle pour faciliter le commerce transfrontalier des produits halieutiques entre le Cameroun, le Gabon et la Guinée Equatoriale.

L’atelier était organisé conjointement par le Bureau Interafricain des Ressources Animales de l’Union Africaine (UA-BIRA), et WorldFish Center en collaboration avec le Gouvernement de la République Gabonaise, la Communauté Économiques des États de l’Afrique Centrale (CEEAC), la Commission Régionale des pêches du Golfe de Guinée (COREP), La Commission Economique pour le Bétail, les Viandes et les Ressources Halieutiques (CEBEVIRHA), avec l’appui de l’Union Européenne.

L’objectif de l’atelier était d'établir une plate-forme multisectorielle transfrontalière pour faciliter le commerce transfrontalier du poisson et des produits de la pêche entre le Cameroun, le Gabon et la Guinée équatoriale.

Les objectifs spécifiques de l'atelier étaient :

• créer le comité intersectoriel pour faciliter la traversée de la frontière des produits de la pêche à Kyosi au Cameroun en relation avec le Gabon et la Guinée Equatoriale.
• développer un mécanisme d'opérationnalisation du comité intersectoriel.
• élaborer la feuille de route, plans d'action pour la mise en œuvre des recommandations du Kyosi vers des mesures pratiques visant à faciliter le commerce interrégional transfrontalier.
• formuler de procédures harmonisées pour faciliter le commerce intra régional.

© 2018 AU-IBAR. Participants to the 5th Project Steering Committee meeting for the Genetics Project.The 3^rd Technical and 5^th Steering Committee meetings of the project "Strengthening the capacity of African countries to conservation and sustainable utilisation of African animal genetic resources" popularly known as the "Genetics Project" were held in Nairobi Kenya at the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) Offices from the 6^th to the 8^th of August 2018. The meetings were attended by 28 participants from selected Member States (MS) (Morocco, Guinea), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) (COMESA, EAC, IGAD, SADC, UMA), implementing partners (CIRDES, ILRI), Sub-Regional Focal Points (S-RFPs) for AnGR (ASARECA, CEBEVIRHA, CORAF, INRAA), representatives of farmers’ organizations (National Federation of Professionals of the Livestock and Meat Sector of Togo); sub-regional research and development organizations (WALIC), representatives of non- governmental organizations (Heifer International); the developmental partner/donor (EU) and AU-IBAR.

The Technical meeting (6^th to 7^th August 2018) was chaired by a representative of COMESA and officially opened by the Director of AU-IBAR, Prof. Ahmed El-Sawalhy who welcomed the participants and thanked them for their roles in the implementation of project activities for the sustainable development and management of African animal genetic resources (AnGR). He informed the meeting that the project had run its 5-year course. However, AU-IBAR had requested for a "no-cost extension" from the the EU. The project team and implementing partners reported on the project activities in the previous year (July 2017 to June 2018), highlighting the achievements and the challenges. The S-RFPs presented the status of AnGR in their respective regions. The technical meeting identified some key issues to be brought to the attention of the Project Steering Committee meeting. The meeting also reviewed and finalized the Exit Strategy for the project.