Daniele Salvini
Inter Country Coordinator (ICC)
GTFS/RAF/426/ITA

Looking forward to the third Regional Workshop in Bamako

Dear friends,

Soon we will meet for the third Regional Workshop in Bamako, Mali. Our FSCA Programme moves forward, in some countries at a good speed, in others slightly slower. I have to confess I am a bit concerned because I feel that the cohesion that the Inter-country Coordination Project (GTFS/RAF/426/ITA) has been trying to encourage so far among the seven national projects is fading away.

National issues become stronger, tending to reduce the regional character of the FSCA Programme. Efforts have been deployed to create a sense of “Community” among the seven projects: the FSCA website has been launched, the two regional workshops held, M&E activities strengthened and the activities related to the Communication for Development have been initiated. The results are still limited. If we want to achieve a stronger cohesion, it’s important to identify our common weaknesses, analyze and overcome them. Nonetheless, there are several examples of relevant practices that are worth mentioning.

For example, the interest and the cooperation provided in occasion of the FSCA Liberian team’s study tour in Sierra Leone. The group exchanged activity implementation plans, problems faced and lessons learned. The trip showed some interesting practices related to local markets in the FSCA intervention area that could be effectively replicated in Liberia. The team visited the main local markets in Freetown and a few fish markets where the team explored some fish processing methods with the local producers. In addition, the group attended beekeepers’ activities, met women producers’ groups and visited a seed multiplication center. All these features gave some useful tips on how to organize work groups and how to practically process, storage, pack and sell goods. It also showed that knowledge sharing between two FSCA teams of different countries is a profitable experience.

In terms of important skills development, several requests to the ICC were made, for example by FAO REP Mali, Gambia, Senegal and Guinea to benefit from specific operational trainings. We want to make sure and support every single step of knowledge sharing. In this respect, I would like you to feel free in expressing your needs and doubts during the next Regional Workshop.

Lastly, I have been seeing a considerable increase of trust and confidence among the budget holders regarding the support provided by the ICC and his assistant. Operational issues, such as the report’s review, QPIR, the six-month progress reports, the Budget Revision and the delivery estimates, demonstrate that collaboration and mutual help can be effective. I believe that this Regional Workshop is a great opportunity to strengthen the “regional dimension” of the FSCA Programme in order to improve collaboration and information sharing among all of us and to identify those “lessons learned” that will improve the national projects’ implementation.

Let’s take the personal commitment to speak up at the workshop, so that we can leave Mali with a defined and straight idea of what needs to be done next.

See you soon !