Engaging poor academic performers (PAP) in marine and coastal management in a capacity-building initiative: Experiences from the Kenya Coastal Development Project (KCDP)

Capacity-building initiatives and training courses for marine and coastal resource management are often academically-oriented and target average or higher academic achievers (HAA), while practical skills for poor academic performers (PAP) remain undeveloped. The current paper gives insights into experiences from a PAP program implemented under the capacity-building subcomponent of the Kenya Coastal Development Project (KCDP). KCDP, a medium to large-sized development project at the Kenya coast, was financed by the Kenyan government through a loan from the World Bank from 2011 to 2017. Slightly better performance than what is expected of 30 out of 32 candidates indicated that PAP can successfully undergo training in fisheries and aquaculture, tourism and wildlife management. As metrics, we compared the richness of interpersonal ties and the within-range performance of PAP and HAA. The similarity of these metrics between the two groups indicated that PAP can successfully engage in marine and coastal management capacity-building initiatives. The capacity-building method presented in this study could help in developing much-needed policies for socio-economic inclusivity of vulnerable populations in the use and management of ocean and coastal resources for sustainable development.