© 2017 AU-IBAR. Ministry of Agro-industry and Food Security (Mauritius).Under the framework of the implementation of the Project "Strengthening the Capacity of African Countries to Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of African Animal Genetic Resources" the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) in collaboration with the African Union – Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) organized a workshop to convene the 4th General Assembly and the Steering Committee meeting of the Sub-Regional Focal Point (S-RFP) for the management of animal genetic resources (AnGR) in Southern Africa from 9^th - 11^th October, 2017, in Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. The project is being implemented with the support from the European Union and the African Union Commission. The project aims at facilitating and fast tracking the implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) for sustainable use of AnGR in Africa.

The meeting was attended by 34 participants representing SADC stakeholders involved in AnGR management, comprising mainly National Coordinators from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia; representatives of: COMESA, SADC, AU-IBAR, CCARDESA, ILRI, University of Stellenbosch, Tuli Cattle Breeders Society of Zimbabwe, Heifer International and Livestock Registrar and Studbook of Botswana and South Africa, respectively.

© 2017 AU-IBAR. The International Scientific Council for Trypanosomosis Research and Control Holds it’s 34th Conference to Review and Recommend Control Approaches for Sleeping Sickness and Nagana.Livingstone 11^th September 2017. To address sleeping sickness, Nagana (trypanosomiasis in cattle) and the vector that transmits the diseases, stakeholders comprising disease control workers and scientists from AU Members States, researchers and scientists from universities in Africa and other parts of the world and other organisation working on the disease in human and animals and the tsetse fly are meeting in Livingstone Zambia to promote information sharing on the problem of tsetse, human and animal trypanosomiasis, review control strategies and recommend appropriate approaches in research and control.

The recommendations emanating from the Conference will provide new information necessary for smarter methods of tsetse and trypanosomiasis control. It is as a result of previous such Conferences that information on improving control of tsetse and trypanosomiasis has been acquired and has benefitted many countries on the continent and the world over, resulting in improved livelihoods especially of the rural communities where the problem has the highest impacts.

The threat that tsetse and trypanosomiasis (T&T) pose was recognized at the turn of the 20^th century by the African Heads of State and Governments when, at their meeting in Lome in 2000, drew attention to the seriousness of the T&T problem as one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development, that severely affects human and livestock health, limits land use, cause poverty and perpetuates underdevelopment on the continent.

© 2017 AU-IBAR. Expert Consultative Workshop to Formulate Guidelines for Developing Aquaculture Business Models and Enhancing Extension Services, Mensvic Hotel, Accra, Ghana 24th to 25th July, 2017.Introduction

A consultative workshop to Formulate Guidelines for Developing Aquaculture Business Models and Enhancing Aquaculture Extension Services was jointly organized by the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the NEPAD Agency in collaboration with the Government of Ghana with support from the European Union from the 24^th to 25^th July, 2017 in Accra Ghana.
The objectives of the consultative meeting were to: (a) Review and identify the key constraints and factors of success for commercial aquaculture and the provision of extension services for aquaculture in Africa. (b) Deliberate on the requirements for developing aquaculture value-chains and subsequently appropriate business models with matching extension guidelines to support sustainable development of commercial aquaculture value-chain(s) in Africa.
The consultative meeting was attended by 45 participants representing 19 African Union Member States: Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Regional Economic Communities (RECs) present were ECOWAS and IGAD. The participants comprised private sector, public sector, research and academia, together with representatives of the AFRM Aquaculture Working Group and Trade Working Group. Dr. Simplice Nouala, the Head of the Animal Production Unit at AU-IBAR, on behalf of the Director AU-IBAR welcomed the participants to the workshop. In his remarks, he provided the participants with a brief overview of the purpose of the workshop emphasizing the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa policy objective to promote market-led sustainable aquaculture development on the continent. Consequently there was a need to guide the aquaculture sub-sector in this direction. Accomplishing this goal strongly hinged upon providing stakeholders with the appropriate knowledge and skills to adopt and implement business rather than subsistence approach for aquaculture.

© 2017 AU-IBAR. Think Tank Meeting on Intra-Regional Fish Trade in Africa, 2nd – 4th August 2017, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria.Introduction

From 2^nd to 4^th August 2017, the beautiful city of Abuja in the Federal Republic of Nigeria hosted a Think Tank Meeting on Intra-regional Fish Trade in Africa in the context of the Africa's Agriculture Growth and Transformation Agenda. The meeting was organized by the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) in collaboration with the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) and WorldFish with support from the European Union (EU).

The overall objective of this meeting was to present the research and development findings and outputs by studies under the Fisheries Governance and Fish Trade Projects and to identify policy entry points that will enhance intra-regional trade of fish and fish products for improved and significant contributions to the Malabo goals of tripling regional trade by 2025. The specific objectives included:

• Assess the status of the regional fish trade in Africa and its contribution to food and nutrition security.
• Assess the institutional and policy environment hindering intra-African fish trade.
• Share experiences (best practices, knowledge and lessons learnt) on regional fish trade.
• Identify priority policy entry points and develop action plans for various national and regional stakeholders to strengthen their roles in facilitating inter and intra-regional fish trade in the continent.

The workshop was attended by 57 participants. These include experts in charge of trade matters and Directors of Fisheries of AU MS; consultants and experts from the continent; Regional Economic Communities, Regional Fisheries Bodies and the private sector. The following countries were represented Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda. Regional Institutions and Organizations included IGAD, EAC, and LVFO. WorldFish, NEPAD and AU-IBAR were also represented.