Call for short-term technical facilitation services under the USAID/UCC Fisheries and Coastal Management Capacity Building Support Project

16 Nov, 2017

In support of the Government of Ghana’s (GoG) initiatives on food security, the United States Government (USG) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting a five-year capacity building program for fisheries and coastal management in Ghana. The project contributes to GoG’s overall grand fisheries and coastal development objectives and USAID’s Feed the Future (FtF) Initiative, the USG led global hunger and food security project designed to enhance economic growth in beneficiary countries. In this context, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) at the University of Cape Coast is leading the USAID Capacity Building Support Program for the Fisheries and Coastal Development sub-component. The extension activities under the project are earmarked towards operationalising the Centre for Coastal Management at the University of Cape Coast.

In respect of these initiatives, the project is seeking experts, organizations or practitioners having relevant professional backgrounds with proven track records from universities, research institutions, NGOs and the private sector in Ghana for collaborative work with the project in the following five (5) thematic areas:

I. Activity 1: Engage policy makers to address coastal and fisheries issues
II. Activity 2: Conduct research and assessment on marine fisheries governance issues
III. Activity 3: Run short-term professional training courses on integrated coastal zone management, fisheries management, climate change adaptation and geographic information systems
IV. Activity 4: Undertake activities towards operationalization of the Centre for Coastal Management
V. Activity 5: Monitor the biodiversity and health of coastal ecosystems

ACTIVITY 1: ENGAGING POLICY MAKERS TO ADDRESS COASTAL AND FISHERIES ISSUES


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
Strengthen inter-agency collaboration for the sustainable management of fisheries and other coastal resources by working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), Fisheries Commission (FC) and other relevant government agencies.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

  • Engage government, development partners, civil society organizations and private sector institutions with the goal of establishing a fisheries and coastal management sector working group. The working group will advise government on the development and implementation of policies, strategies and programmes to address the challenges of the sector. For a start, the group will advise government on the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the communique from the Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment (2017) and use the issuance of government’s red alert on all forms of illegal fishing in Ghana as a basis.
  • Engage with government to establish an inter-ministerial/agency coordination platform to support the design and implementation of broad programmes for fisheries and coastal management reforms.
  • Set up governance, management and membership structures for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society of Ghana. The facilitator should convene meetings of the interim management commitee of the society. The facilitator should also ensure the establishment of permanent board and management committee. The facilitator should set up formal structures for the registration of members and engage stakeholders to promote membership of the society. Again, the facilitator will be expected to review and ensure the adoption of the draft Constitution of the Society
  • Plan towards the second conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment in 2019.
  • Set up an editorial board and review processes for the Society’s journal in line with requirements of African Journal Online (AJOL)
  • Establish the structures for the Journal of the Society in collaboration with the Society.
  • Facilitate the publication of the maiden edition of the journal based on proceedings of the Accra Conference, 2017.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • Fisheries and Coastal Management Sector working group established
  • Inter-ministerial and agency platform for fisheries and coastal management established
  • Governance, management and membership structures for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society established
  • Meeting of interim commitee of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Society convened
  • Draft Constitution of the Society reviewed and adopted
  • Members of the Society registered
  • Inter-agency platform strengthened
  • Second conference on fisheries and coastal conference for 2019 planned
  • Editorial board for the journal established in line with requirements of AJOL
  • Maiden edition of the journal based on proceedings of the Accra Conference published.

ACTIVITY 2: CONDUCTING RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT ON MARINE FISHERIES GOVERNANCE ISSUES


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the decentralization of Ghana’s fisheries management processes based on documented scientific information for advocacy to improve fisheries governance practices. This is expected to be achieved by working closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), and the Fisheries Commission (FC), fishing communities, traditional authority, District Assemblies and other stakeholders.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

  • Identify district and community level constraints and opportunities in the governance and management of fisheries and coastal resources. Currently district assemblies are not directly involved in fisheries governance.
  • Strengthen the advocacy capacity of journalists, research institutions, think-tanks and civil society groups for sustainable management of fisheries and coastal resources. The facilitator will strengthen the capacity of these groups to monitor and dialogue with relevant government agencies on the enforcement of policies, laws and reforms.
  • Create a platform for stakeholders that include journalists, MoFAD, FC, MMDAs, NDPC, etc. to advocate for the inclusion of fisheries and coastal issues into government policy/initiatives such as the Coastal Development Authority, the Fisheries Act currently under review, NDPC medium term development plan, and the involvement of District Assemblies in fisheries governance. Focus on supporting and identifying strategic partnerships with national organisations with the desire and ability to influence national reform agendas.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • District and community level constraints in fisheries and coastal management identified and addressed through advocacy actions
  • Capacity of journalists, research institutions, think-tanks and civil society groups to undertake advocacy activities significantly increased
  • Management strategies identified, evaluated and disseminated among stakeholders
  • Roles and responsibilities at the community, district, region and national levels clarified in fisheries management
  • Proposals for district bye-laws in fisheries for landing sites developed
  • Collaborations with media strengthened
  • Research assessments completed

ACTIVITY 3: TRAININGS ON INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT, FISHERIES MANAGEMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
This activity will seek to optimize facilitation services to the highest standards of delivery and strengthen UCC’s internal capacity for running short courses into the future. One (1) facilitator will be hired to introduce best practices in all the training courses and standardize technical delivery in the classroom and field activities, course programs, certifications and other outcomes. This option will ensure cost savings. The facilitator will be tasked to develop modalities for logistics planning and establish modalities for sustained funding on fee-payment basis. Guidelines to project the training programs locally and internationally will be developed.
To this end, the facilitator will provide support services to run short courses covering technical and relevant contextual aspects for Ghana’s coastal areas. The courses will target professionals actively engaged in the field of integrated coastal management, fisheries management, climate change adaptation and geographic information systems or individuals whose work is increasingly affected by issues of fisheries, development and physical planning in coastal areas.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assigned facilitator will coordinate various services in the following areas:

  • Use existing training manuals on the courses to build the capacity of district, regional or national level stakeholders, and professionals working in Ghana’s fisheries and coastal economies to steer fisheries and coastal development processes towards key outcomes. Participants will be selected from respondents to advertisements (for fee-paying participants) and nominations from relevant institutions for which funding will be provided.
  • Coordinate all communications on the workshop and provide media communication covering print and electronic outlets
  • Compile all materials including PowerPoint presentations of modules, videos, charts and other materials needed for classroom, laboratory and field exercises
  • Facilitate the training workshop, evaluation and reporting on the project.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS
The key products of this assignment are:

  • A 5-day training using published manuals and PowerPoint presentations, classroom discussions, video interactions as well as related laboratory and field excursions delivered.
  • Trainers in the different subjects from within and outside the University of Cape Coast identified.

ACTIVITY 4: OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE CENTRE FOR COASTAL MANAGEMENT


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
To facilitate the development of the next five-year strategic plan (2017-2022) for the Centre for Coastal Management (CCM) with a strong community-based coastal resources/ marine environmental management and outreach component.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is in two parts, meant to create and expand opportunities for meaningful educational and outreach programs in marine fisheries and coastal resources management. First, the project is desirous of supporting CCM to develop a five-year strategic plan (2017-2022) to direct activities of the Centre into the future. The second part will secure the services of an architect or physical planner to work with advise from the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and other experts from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to develop a concept for an outreach and community-based program for the Centre for Coastal Management.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • A five-year strategic plan developed to include human, managerial, technical capacity and other logistical needs
  • A concept for a community-based Centre for Coastal Management developed to deepen CCM’s technical and outreach programs

ACTIVITY 5: MONITOR THE BIODIVERSITY AND HEALTH OF COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS


PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVE
Strengthen collaboration with the local government agencies and other stakeholders responsible for the highly degraded lagoon at Half Assini and advocate for necessary bye-laws for its wise use and conservation. Meanwhile, ecological monitoring by experts will continue to acquire comprehensive baseline data on the lagoon. This program has the intended goal of supporting the government to achieve its fisheries development objectives of poverty reduction, food security and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
a) Contribute to the development of bye-laws by the District Assembly to protect the lagoon with the active involvement of the community members.
b) Advocate for the creation of a buffer zone of about 5-10m around the lagoon and plant wetland vegetation native to the area.
c) Provide a skip to the community for waste collection
d) Dialogue and obtain commitment of the community and the District Assembly on the siting and regular emptying of the skip.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS

  • Strategies including the creation of bye-laws to restore the lagoon at Half Assini achieved
  • A skip for collection of refuse provided
  • Advocacy for creation of a buffer zone around the lagoon done
  • Information on biodiversity of fish, benthic invertebrates and other fauna, as well as mangroves and other flora documented
  • Physical and chemical environmental parameters of the Half Assini lagoon documented
  • Results on advocacy, scientific study and community sanitation presented at a forum for stakeholders at the District Assembly

 

PROPOSAL EVALUATION GUIDELINES:

 

Quality of Technical Approach:

  • Technical details: Content and methodical approaches must be clearly articulated. Present a thorough understanding of the activity and how to operationalize the work.
  • Long-term Sustainability: The extent to which the activity will be sustainable over the long term without continued external support will be required to be known.
  • Innovative Concept: The degree of innovation must be evident in the proposal and the prospect of adoption of the innovation by stakeholders.

Past Performance and Management Capacity:

  • Evidence of the capability to undertake and accomplish the proposed activities. The proposal should demonstrate the applicant’s effectiveness in previous projects including technical capacity, and key personnel, in meeting activity goals.
  • Have experience working with universities in the implementation of programs.
  • Have demonstrated capacity to monitor and implement activities and fulfill reporting and documentation requirements

Cost Management:

  • Prospective applicants should demonstrate ability to manage funding and capacity for accountability and program implementation.
  • Appropriateness and reasonability of stated costs, compared with the approach laid out in the technical proposal.
  • Establish understanding of current costs in Ghana, reflected in the budget narrative by a description of how costs were calculated.

MODE OF APPLICATION:


Interested applicants must submit a technical proposal and budget, in English, not exceeding 15 pages in length. Application may be submitted in electronic format (via email: ccm@ucc.edu.gh) or hard copy by EXPRESS MAIL to the address below and should reference Activity Number,

Addressed to:
The Project Manager,
USAID/UCC Fisheries and Coastal management Capacity Building Support Project,
Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
School of Biological Sciences,
College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast.

CLOSING DATE/ SELECTION/ APPOINTMENT:


Closing Date: Friday 8th December, 2017. Applications must be submitted no later than 11pm local time. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further interaction soon after the closing date.
Notification or award: 20th December, 2017.
Appointment Date: January, 2018.

 

announcement_usaid_ucc_0.pdf