Consistent with the Malabo Declaration and Africa Agriculture Transformation Agenda by 2025 and the Policy Framework and Reform strategy for fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, AU-IBAR, in collaboration with the NEPAD, formulated a Plans of Actions to assist member states and other stakeholders to increase the benefits from the small-scale fisheries sector. Priority actions related to the promotion of value addition and reduction of postharvest losses include infrastructure development and marketing systems, the provision of cold chain facilities in landing sites and improvement of basic infrastructure (road, electricity, potable water and sanitary facilities).

Poor quality fish, bad handling practices throughout the supply chain (i.e. pre-, during- and post-harvest operations), lack of hygienic facilities at fish landing centres, and ineffective regulations of Quality Control and Quality Assurance were identified as key constraints to the expansion of fish/fishery trade. This was further exacerbated by the lack of awareness on quality control and hygiene throughout the fish supply chain, and improper on-shore and in-shore waste management practices, therefore leading to the major post-harvest losses.

In response, the national fisheries strategy proposed the development and rehabilitation of landing centres, cold storage units, ice plants, boat yards, maintenance workshops and value chain. A comprehensive needs and priority evaluation would inform on the step-by-step approach for the development of these facilities, including the new establishments/constructions as identified. Public-Private and Public-Private-Community partnerships will be fostered and strengthened for the integrated landing centres management.

In 2006 the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Morocco began development of their first partnership to reduce poverty. The Moroccan economy had seen 30 years of relative macroeconomic stability but slow growth, which led to consistently high unemployment. The Moroccans sought to stimulate economic growth by investing in sectors with high potential where they had competitive advantages and could increase employment. MCC and Morocco signed a five-year, $697.5 million compact in August 2007 that invested in five project areas based on Morocco’s own national growth strategy. This strategy was designed to modernize industrial sectors and target areas where the country had competitive advantages, such as textiles, agribusiness, fishing and handicrafts.

Small-scale fisheries are one of the most underdeveloped segments of Morocco’s fishing sector due to inadequate coastal landing sites and port infrastructure, lack of a reliable temperature-controlled supply chain (cold chain) from the sea to consumer, limited access to open markets, and insufficient training for fishers and their cooperatives. The Small-Scale Fisheries Project was designed to transform the sector by constructing landing sites, wholesale markets and facilities; providing technical assistance; partially funding fresh-fish transportation equipment for mobile fish vendors; establishing marine protected areas; and increasing efforts to ensure sustainable use of fish resources.

Eleven fish landing sites and port facilities were constructed and equipped, and three marine protected areas, five wholesale fish markets, as well as the training and equipping of 933 mobile fish vendors. An interim performance evaluation indicated that the income of artisan fishers increased by 73% in the port of Tan Tan and 54% in the landing site of Tifnit.