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Imparting Knowledge and Techniques in Pacific Coastal Fisheries

2 June 2005

The Commonwealth Secretariat's Special Advisory Services Division (SASD) will work together with instructors from Papua New Guinea to deliver a Training of Trainers (TOT) programme on coastal fisheries in Vanuatu from 13 to 30 June 2005.

Fisherman PNG
 A fisherman in Papua New Guinea.
Semisi Fakahau, SASD's Adviser on Agriculture, said the Papua New Guinea officials have been selected from a Commonwealth-funded Master Trainers programme on small and medium enterprise (SME) development for coastal fisheries, to transfer their skills to 17 fisheries officials from Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
 
The TOT programme will use the Papua New Guinea model of Start and Improve Your Fisheries Business (SIYFB) Training Programme, developed under the coastal fisheries SME development project since 2000, to assist other Pacific island states.
 
The SIYFB is the first fisheries-specific business training programme established in a developing country based on the International Labour Organisation's entrepreneurship training programme, Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB), which is used in more than 80 developing countries worldwide.
 
The Papua New Guinea National Fisheries College and Small Business Development Corporation are responsible for the development of the SIYFB Training Programme. Eight trainers and more than 200 small business owners in the coastal fisheries sub-sector of Papua New Guinea have been trained on business awareness, planning and management under the project. 
 
The success of the Papua New Guinea project has raised significant interest and demand from other Pacific island states to access the SIYFB. Its transfer out of Papua New Guinea is done on regional basis through the Fisheries Training Unit of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the leading regional organisation on the management of coastal fisheries in Pacific island countries. The SPC is responsible for the organisation of the TOT programme, including the selection of trainees and disbursement of project funds for trainees, logistics, and training facilities and equipment. 
 
The Master Trainers from Papua New Guinea will be responsible for the delivery of the TOT programme and the two training courses under the SIYFB Training Programme, namely, Start Your Fisheries Business and Improve Your Fisheries Business, in other Pacific island states.
 
The extension of Master Trainers' services to other nations signifies the success of the Papua New Guinea project in developing national and institutional capacity to strengthen SME competitiveness in the fisheries sector of Pacific island countries.

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 237, 1 June 2005

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