The Programme for Improving Fisheries Governance and Blue Trade Corridors in the SADC Region (PROFISHBLUE), funded by African Development Fund (ADF) is coming to an end. With the objective to promote the sustainable management of fisheries resources within the Blue Economy context to improve food and nutritional security, create employment through value chain activities, facilitate intra-regional trade, and build adaptive capacity against climate change and other external shocks, agreements between the SADC secretariat, UNIDO and other implementation partners have successfully contributed to ‘Policy harmonization and trade facilitation towards intra-regional trade’.
Under this project, UNIDO developed a strategic and operational guide that serves as a crucial tool to help mitigate challenges such as delays, increased costs, and regulatory discrepancies that currently hinder trade in fish and fishery products at borders. The main aim of this document is to contribute to enhance the formal fisheries trade through outlining a strategic approach to conformity assessment of fishery products and core requirements for overcoming barriers and avoiding disruption to fisheries trade between Member States with operational OSBPs.
Recently validated at the SADC Technical Fisheries Committee, this guide is foreseen to be a vital tool towards a comprehensive framework for enhancing trade efficiency, ensuring compliance with regulations and standards, and promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth competitive market of blue foods, benefiting both current and future generations for the region.