Nadi, Fiji – The inaugural workshop of a five-year Pacific Fisheries Leadership Programme (PFLP) began this week in Nadi, Fiji. This significant initiative, in support of the Pacific’s most prominent industry, aims to improve the quality and diversity of leadership, management and cooperation across Pacific fisheries and support the goals of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries.
The three-week workshop now underway in Novotel Hotel, Nadi, brings together 23 emerging leaders from Pacific fisheries sectors across the region to share, learn and be challenged in sessions facilitated by experts from the University of Queensland (UQ) Business School. Participants will be provided with practical and theoretical guidance on sustainable fisheries issues.
Funded by the New Zealand Government and administered by the Pacific Community (SPC), the PFLP will be delivered by a consortium partners including SPC, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), University of Queensland (UQ), People Focus and The Centre for Adaptive Leadership (CCA). The Programme will take place in three stages over five years.
At opening of the workshop, Cameron Bowles, Team Leader for PFLP, expressed his thanks to the PFLP partners and emphasised the leadership principles of the program, “PFLP brings different people focused perspectives, skills and experience to an area that is highly technically skilled. The programme will help develop the essential tools required to adapt and respond to emerging challenges in the fisheries sector.”
Over the next five years, 125 current and emerging leaders in the Pacific Island fisheries sector will participate in different modules of PFLP. Participants in this learning journey will take part in face-to-face workshops, learning experiences, coaching and resources relevant to their daily work. Integral to the success of the PFLP are the coaching sessions that link the modules on Leadership for Effectiveness, Leadership Experience, and Leadership for Change.
SPC’s Director-General, Colin Tukuitonga, highlighted the significance of PLFP and its potential impact on Pacific fisheries saying, “The importance of supporting sustainable fisheries in the pacific cannot be understated. Investing in future leaders through a programme like this will insure that our region has the expertise in needs to be a global leader in sustainable fisheries management.”