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2.2 Implementation Challenges
On the programmatic side, coordination and communication issues emerged among the partners in the first half of Year 1 once field activities were just starting up, especially among those
working in the Western and Central regions and with Accra-based partners. A problem-solving meeting was held in Takoradi and a number of recommendations made were implemented to
resolve those issues.
There were some initial coordination challenges with the Fisheries Commission regarding involvement in planning and implementation activities. The coordination issues were resolved in
a meeting with the Fisheries Commission where it was made clear of the need to be supporting Fisheries Commission mandates and responsibilities and the desire for closer cooperation and
endorsement of activity led processes and meeting agendas.
There were some challenges in forecasting whether targets set for support to medium and scale enterprises would be met for the year given a late start up of field activities. In the end targets
were exceeded even though number of demonstration stoves constructed was below expectations. There was concern especially from the Fisheries Commission post-harvest unit
that only appropriate technologies that they endorsed be extended and that those had to be vetted via a workshop on smoker technologies. However, the team decided to move forward as planned
on development of pilot Morrison stove technologies which are known to be better than the most prevalent used style
—the Chorkor smoker. This will provide some early trial experience. Evaluations will take place early in Year two with involvement of the FC Post Harvest Unit
before more wide-scale extension of these technologies or more stoves are built to ensure they are appropriate and desired by processors in the Western and Central region as smoking in these
areas varies somewhat from where the Morrison design which was first introduced and widely adopted
– in the Volta region. A challenge early in startup during the first year for most subcontractors was a funding delay
which resulted in late timing and implementation of field activities. As a result, most partners found that they had to initiate some activities in later months than planned. In certain cases, such
as the Ankobra estuarine vulnerability assessment, addressing this challenge meant that effort levels have to be increased to ensure timely completion of field work and report writing.
Another source of challenge was some ambiguity or vagueness in partner terms of reference. More detailed terms of references are being used for Year 2.
The late start of SSG’s work on the project and resulting shifts in timelines for the RPA scoping exercise and the partnership Prioriti
zation Workshop led to delays in a number of SSG’s activities and deliverables. Because of these delays, much of SSG’s work on the ICT strategy
was deferred to Year 2, and the first MOU and the additional Partnerships Trainings was also be shifted to Year 2.
Partners continue to raise concerns about co-dependency and coordination during implementation of field activities. On the one hand, it is understandable that to meet individual
deliverables and targets, partners do not want to be surprised by delays or difficulties in obtaining needed inputs from other groups. On the other hand, the entire design of the SFMP,
reflects in miniature the great need for collaboration and coordination in Ghana’s fisheries management. A central aim of the project is to create a strong set of government, NGO and
private sector partners that can function effectively as a governance network. SFMP leadership
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will continue to challenge the implementing partners to move toward a deeper understanding of the importance of a collaborative model of fisheries and coastal resources management. At the
same time, we have moved in Year2 to carefully look at the number of partners involved in any given task or activity area and have attempted to minimize the number involved to help reduce
transaction costs and communication coordination challenges.
2.3 ME Plan Implementation Update
Kategori