In the heart of Eritrea, a quiet revolution has been transforming the fisheries sector. A USD 400,000 initial investment, a multi-million-dollar transformation. In 2021, FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme injected seed funding into Eritrea’s fisheries sector: targeted, technical, and strategic. It didn’t just support projects. It unlocked a system.

Working closely with the Ministry of Marine Resources, FAO turned gaps into opportunities, strengthening research, shaping policy, and building the foundations for modern fisheries management. The timing was critical: the intervention plugged directly into IFAD’s USD 26 million Fisheries Resources Management Programme, accelerating its impact.

The result? Investment readiness.

Building on the results of this targeted assistance, IFAD subsequently awarded USD 249,980 to FAO to further strengthen national fisheries institutions and develop investment concepts for potential future programming. FAO’s technical groundwork became the blueprint for real-world investments: a processing plant, a fisheries monitoring center, upgraded laboratories. Not concepts - concrete change.

And the momentum didn’t stop there.

By 2025, this catalytic chain reaction led to a USD 32 million Sustainable Fisheries and Livelihoods Programme, backed by IFAD, GEF, and the Government of Eritrea.

What started as technical assistance became a national transformation.

A small investment. A powerful ripple effect. A story still unfolding.