Authored by Brad Czerniak
View resource

SmartFish is one of the largest regional programmes for fisheries in Africa. It is financed by the European Union, and implemented by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) in collaboration with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). There are twenty beneficiary countries under the programme. Other partner institutions include: the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Southern African Development Community (SADC), along with several regional fisheries management organizations. The overall objective of the program is to contribute to sustainable development of the region through the sustainable use of fisheries resources.The ultimate beneficiaries of the programme will be the fishermen, coastal communities and wider populations of the region. It is expected that diverse stakeholder groups will also have specific direct and indirect benefits from the SmartFish program.

The program aims to achieve five main results:

  • Fisheries Development and Management
  • Fisheries Governance
  • Effective Monitoring, Control and Surveillance
  • Fish Trade
  • Food Security
Resource Type
Programme
Theme
Governance and Financing
Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
Organization
Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)
Geography
Burundi
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Ethiopia
Kenya
Malawi
Mozambique
Rwanda
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Lake Albert
Lake Edward
Lake Kivu
Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Turkana
Lake Victoria
Budget
>$1 million
View resource

Related Content

African Great Lakes Information Platform: An open, shared and relevant IT platform for state of the art knowledge and information sharing, learning and action
Project
Authored by Evans A.K. Miriti

The 2017 African Great Lakes Conference, Entebbe, Uganda resolved to advance the African Great Lakes Information Platform (AGLI) (this platform) established by The Nature Conservancy. AGLI was created to promote research and collaboration and support decision-making to ensure the inter-generational sustainability of the lakes and their basins. AGLI will be hosted at the University of Nairobi and managed jointly with the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education. 

FavoriteFolder

Strengthening Capacity in Research, Policy and Management through Development of a Network of African Great Lakes Basin Stakeholders
Project
Authored by Evans A.K. Miriti

Members of this project will host an applied, collaborative workshop which creates lake committees on each of the African Great Lakes. Each lake committee will consist of relevant freshwater experts to harmonize and prioritize research, guide regional research efforts, and facilitate communications between partner countries to positively affect freshwater policy and management using regular in-person meetings, the African Great Lakes Inform, and other relevant means.

FavoriteFolder

Strategic Adaptive Management
Article
Authored by Evans A.K. Miriti

Adaptive management is an ongoing natural resources management process of planning, doing, assessing, learning and adapting, while also applying what was learned to the next iteration of the natural resources management process. Adaptive management facilitates developing and refining a conservation strategy, making efficient management decisions and using research and monitoring to assess accomplishments and inform future iterations of the conservation strategy.

FavoriteFolder

African Great Lakes Conference, 2017
Success Story
Authored by Evans A.K. Miriti

In May 2017, the African Great Lakes Conference: Conservation and Development in a Changing Climate was held in Entebbe, Uganda. This conference sought to increase coordination, strengthen capacity, inform policy with science, and promote basin-scale ecosystem management in the region. Because all of the African Great Lakes cross borders, the benefits they offer and the challenges they face are best managed at a basin-wide level.

FavoriteFolder

African Great Lakes Atlas
Map
Authored by Evans A.K. Miriti

This Story Map focuses on seven of Africa’s Great Lakes (Albert, Edward, Kivu, Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa, Tanganyika, Victoria, Turkana) and highlights key biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics designed to stimulate discussions around development and conservation of the lakes and their basins, especially in the face of increasing variability and change in climate.

FavoriteFolder

Resolution of the African Great Lakes Conference, 2017
Plan
Authored by Brad Czerniak

In May 2017, the African Great Lakes Conference: Conservation and Development in a Changing Climate was held in Entebbe, Uganda. This conference sought to increase coordination, strengthen capacity, inform policy with science, and promote basin-scale ecosystem management in the region. Because all of the African Great Lakes cross borders, the benefits they offer and the challenges they face are best managed at a basin-wide level.

FavoriteFolder

AU-IBAR Strategic Plan 2014-2017
Plan
Authored by Brad Czerniak

The Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission (AUC). AU-IBAR 's mandate is to support and coordinate the utilization of livestock, fisheries and wildlife as resources for both human wellbeing and economic development in the Member States of the African Union (AU). Despite sustained efforts and commitment over many decades by AU-IBAR and others, the potential of animal resources in the fight against poverty and the development of Africa is still underutilized.

FavoriteFolder

Regional Framework on Environmental Management for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Africa - Eastern Africa and the Great Lakes Region
Plan
Authored by Brad Czerniak

Africa's continental fisheries and development strategy, The Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS), advocates for the sustainable management of aquatic resources for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture development. The ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) is a strategy for the integration of aquaculture within the wider ecosystem to ensure sustainable development, equity and resilience of interlinked social-ecological systems.

FavoriteFolder

Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
Programme
Authored by Brad Czerniak

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) was specially formulated to stimulate the necessary reforms in the agriculture sector and bring agriculture toward the support of socio-economic growth and sustainable development. CAADP is Africa 's policy framework for agriculture and agriculture-led development. It is an integral part of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

FavoriteFolder