© 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.

© 2018 AU-IBAR. Group photo of participants at the technical session, 2nd September 2018, Cairo, Egypt 2018.Introduction

The Fisheries Governance Project was implemented by the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), in collaboration with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) from March 2014 to September 2018. Through the support of this EU funded Project, also fondly referred to as the Fisheries Governance Project, AU-IBAR initiated the implementation of the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS). The overall objective was to enhance the contribution of fisheries resources to food security and economic growth in Africa. Specifically the objective was to improve institutional and policy environment for sustainable management and utilization of fisheries resources in Africa.

After four and half years of implementation, AU-IBAR organized a closure and dissemination workshop from the 02^nd-05^th September 2018 in Cairo, Egypt. The overall objective of this project closure workshop was to share the achievements of the Fisheries Governance Project including lessons, best practices and challenges. Three main events were organized to mark the official closure of the Project:

• A technical session comprising mainly of Directors of fisheries and aquaculture from the African Union member states, Regional economic communities, Regional fisheries bodies, water basin commissions, Non-state actors, women organizations and development partners
• A High Level Policy Dialogue ministerial session comprising of 10 Ministers in charge of fisheries and aquaculture (or their representatives)
• The final Steering Committee Meeting of the project

© 2018 AU-IBAR. Group photo of participants at the PPR Strategy pre-validation workshop for the State of Libya held at the Golden Tulip El-Mechtel Hotel, Tunis, Tunisia from 28th-30th August 2018.AU-IBAR is technically and financially supporting African Union Member States to develop and validate their national strategies for Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) control and eradication; and the control of other priority small ruminant diseases (SRDs). In Libya, PPR is endemic causing severe hardship to owners of small ruminants. Controlling PPR is regarded as key to poverty reduction and livelihood enhancement because it is spread all over the country and affects the majority of the population depending on small ruminants for their livelihoods. The purpose of the strategy is therefore to control and eventually eradicate PPR from Libya as well as guide the control of other small ruminant diseases and improvement in veterinary services delivery in the country. This strategy when implemented will lead to an increase in livestock production and productivity, and improvement in the general growth performance of small ruminants in the country. The expected net effects will include an increase in rural employment, income generation, and sustainable livelihoods.

Following the agreement to support the State of Libya to undertake this activity, two technical experts from the University of Tripoli were contracted by AU-IBAR as facilitators to support the national Veterinary Services National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH) in Libya to develop a draft of the strategy in July 2018. The experts were also to coordinate and facilitate the pre-validation workshop, and to finalize the strategy after the workshop. The draft was therefore presented for pre-validation at the workshop that was held from 28^th - 30^th August 2018 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Tunis, Tunisia. The workshop was organized in Tunis because of the logistic difficulties of organizing the event in Libya under the current fragile security situation in the country.

The overall objective of the workshop was to review and pre-validate the draft of the Libya PPR control and Eradication strategy. The workshop also served to enlighten the other participants on the strategy development process.