MIMRA progressed a lot of activities during this period.  Despite substantial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including extensive domestic and international travel restrictions, MIMRA and the PMU had proactively identified alternate and efficient means of delivering key project activities (e.g. virtual meetings and radio outreach). There was a significant boost in the implementation of the remaining programmed activities for the past semester, foreshadowing with positivity that the project is on track to achieve the Project Development Objective and intermediate results indicator targets and deliver on the expected outcomes by closure. The World Bank Project Implementation Support Team had assessed in their recent mission the likelihood of the project achieving its Project Development Objective by the new closing date of September 30^th 2021, by reviewing implementation progress, results framework and the likelihood of external factors jeopardizing achievement of PDO.

Despite the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, MIMRA, just like any other organization, struggled to accommodate the new-norm and progressed in delivering key project activities during this period. With comprehensive domestic and international travel restrictions, MIMRA and PMU were still able to find alternative efficient ways to move with the implementation of procurement packages and activities on hand for PROP. With the GEF grant closure on September 30th 2020, the PMU has accelerated the implementation of all planned GEF-financed activities (costing US$850,000), except for the purchase of a coastal fisheries research vessel, have been completed. The restructuring included a 12 month, no cost extension of the IDA grant closing date to September 30, 2021.

This latter semester of 2019 mainly centered on implementing as many activities as possible under the project. MIMRA had moved into its new, state-of-the-art building with PROP financing the fully operational Information Communications and Technology (ICT) equipment and an MCS Operations Center (MCSOC), complete with Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and with World Bank (WB) authorizing RMI PROP to hire the necessary staff to carry out the additional workload. The newly recruited Procurement Specialist head started with the procuring of several packages and activities planned for the project in this second semester. As a result, the PROP project disbursed about 45% of the IDA grant and 23% of the GEF grant by the end of December of the reporting period.