Purpose and Background
November 7th, 2019. Imperial Golf View Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda.
Pictured are the participants of the African Great Lakes Stakeholder Network Workshop. Freshwater experts from 18 countries were in attendance, including members from each of the 10 riparian African Great Lakes Countries. The workshop resulted in the establishment of six multi-jurisdictional collaborative bodies to help address gaps in knowledge on each of the African Great Lakes.
Photo: ACARE
During November 5-7, 2019, the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education and its in-country hosts, the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute held the African Great Lakes Stakeholder Workshop.
Members from all ten African Great Lakes riparian countries (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia) were in attendance, as were freshwater experts from the Belgium, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United States. In all, there were 92 participants.
The workshop’s goals were to create lake-specific advisory groups of freshwater experts on each African Great Lake to serve as mechanisms for consistent, regular, and extensive collaboration and communications.
The workshop was a resounding success with six advisory groups being created by members of each lake’s riparian country:
- The Lake Albert/Edward Advisory Group
- The Lake Kivu Advisory Group
- The Lake Malawi/Niassa/Nyasa Basin Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Network
- The Lake Tanganyika – Scientific Advisory Group
- The Lake Turkana Advisory Group
- The Lake Victoria Advisory Group
Each advisory groups will identify the most pressing research needs on each of the African Great Lakes.
Research today is about partnerships and networks to share data, ideas, infrastructure, and, where necessary, costs. Researchers need to collaborate across disciplines and among universities and organizations around the world. Big questions and big problems require international efforts. Collaborative research networks constitute the basis for international understanding.
The workshop was a direct result of efforts in identifying challenges on the African Great Lakes and looking at successful collaborations on multi-jurisdictional lakes, including the Laurentian Great Lakes’ Lake Committee process on which this process is based; the collaboration on Lake Victoria, coordinated by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization; and the collaboration on Lake Tanganyika through the Lake Tanganyika Authority.
The critical outcome of this workshop was the creation of a long-term process for consistent and regular collaboration and communications among experts on each African Great Lake.
Each lake advisory group is tasked with:
- Prioritization of research and research needs
- Harmonization of:
- Research approaches and data collection
- Existing research resources, stations, and personnel
- Accumulation of financial and research resources, from regional and global resources, to address prioritized research on each African Great Lake
The purpose of this process is so each lake can produce long-term, comparable, and peer reviewed data that can be used to positively influence policy and management.
Workshop Agenda and Resources
Presentations use and notice:
The presentations on this webpage have been generously provided by the attendees of the 2019 African Great Lakes Stakeholder Workshop. Presentations denoted with an * were created by individual presenters and any use of the materials contained within those presentations should be cited as such. Presentations denoted with ^ were generated through the collaborative efforts and processes of the workshop.
DAY 1: Overview, Background, and Purpose
Welcome, Overview, Purpose
- Kevin Obiero, Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute/ACARE (Moderator)
- Dr. Richard Ogutu-Ohwayo, NaFIRRI
- Dr. Anthony Taabu-Munyaho, LVFO
- Mr. Dave Ullrich, Great Lakes Fishery Commission
- Dr. Ted Lawrence, ACARE
- Dr. Edward Rukuunya, Director of Fisheries, Uganda
The 2017 African Great Lakes Conference
Peter Limbu/Patrick Doran, The Nature Conservancy
North American Great Lakes Fishery Management: From Chaos to Cooperation
Commissioner Dave Ullrich, Great Lakes Fishery Commission
ACARE, a New Design for the African Great Lake
Dr. Kevin Obiero, ACARE/Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute
Collaborative Structure, Overview, and Needs of Each African Great Lake
- Lake Albert/Edward
Oscar Wembo Ndeo, DRC - Lake Kivu
Fabrice Muvundja, ISP-Bukavu & Catholic University of Bukavu, DRC - Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa
Maxon Ngochera, Malawi Fisheries Department - Lake Tanganyika
Lloyd Haambiya, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock - Lake Turkana
John Malala, KMFRI - Lake Victoria
Robert Kayanda, LVFO/ACARE
Lake Synthesis Discussion
Panel & Discussion: Examples of Collaboration, Success, Challenges and Needs
- Dr. Robert Kayanda, Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization
- Dr. Bob Hecky, Great Lakes Fishery Commission/ACARE
- Ms. Beatrice Marwa, Lake Tanganyika Authority
- Dr. Lily Kisaka, Lake Victoria Basin Commission
African Great Lakes Information Platform: The New Mechanism for Collaboration on the AGL
Ted Lawrence, ACARE
What Does “Best Case” African Great Lakes Collaboration Look Like?
Small group discussion
Report Out, Conclusions and Adjournment
Ted Lawrence, ACARE
DAY 2: Needs, Structure, and Development
Summary of Day 1: Outcomes and Direction
Ted Lawrence, ACARE
Purpose of Lake Specific Collaborations, Overview of the Day
Split into Lake-Specific Groups (concurrent sessions)
- Lake Albert/Edward
- Lake Kivu
- Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa
- Lake Tanganyika
- Lake Turkana
- Lake Victoria
Agenda for Lake Specific Groups
– Review Ground Rules, Breakout Plan, and Breakout Group Roles
– Introductions
– Feasibility Assessment
– Missing Players
– Purpose of the Advisory Group
– Advisory Group Structure
– Advisory Group Roles and Leadership
– Resources Needed for Advisory Group Success
– Communications Tools
– Next Steps and Annual Plan
– Research and Policy Priorities (If time permits)
– Policy Engagement Strategy (If time permits)
Split into Lake-Specific Groups (concurrent sessions)
Open review of Advisory Group progress
Lake-Specific Groups Continue Work (coffee/tea available)
Evaluate Progress
Reconvene as Plenary
DAY 3: Summary, Resources, and the Way Forward
Summary of Day 2: Outcomes and Direction
Overview Reports by Each Lake-Specific Advisory Group
- Lake Albert/Edward
Dr. Oscar Wembo - Lake Kivu
Dr. Fabrice Muvundja - Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa
Dr. Geoffrey Chavula - Lake Tanganyika
Dr. Lloyd Haambiya - Lake Turkana
Dr. John Malala - Lake Victoria
Dr. Anthony Taabu-Munyaho
Group Discussion
Lightning Talks on Partnership, Collaboration and Sustainability
- John Walakira, NAFIRRI
- Erik Brown, Large Lakes Observatory-University of Minnesota
- Andrew Gemmell, United Nations
- Alan Brooks, USAID
- Evans Miriti, University of Nairobi
- Tony Vodacek, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Scott Higgins, International Institute of Sustainable Development
Plenary Discussion for Next Steps and Realization
A message from Mr. Dave Ullrich: Approaches to Fisheries and Ecosystem Management: Great Lakes of North America-Great Lakes of Africa
Organizers
Partners, Sponsors, and Collaborators
Organization Committee and Contacts
International Organizing Committee
African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (USA/Canada):
Ted Lawrence (Focal person), Jess Ives (logistics), Steph Smith (logistics)
Local Organizing Committee
The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (Jinja, Uganda)
Dr. Robert Kayanda (Focal person) and Ms. Claire Mukobi (logistics)
National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (Jinja, Uganda)
Conference Contact
Ted Lawrence: ted@agl-acare.org
ACARE Business Office: info@agl-acare.org