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• Mr. Secretary General, representing His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Mali
• Mr. Director of Agriculture of the ECOWAS Commission
• Mr. Director of Agriculture of the UEMOA Commission
• Mr General Manager of INSAH / CILSS
• Hub Rural Executive Director
• Members of the West African Regional Seed Committee (COASem-CRSU)
• Representatives of the FAO, the World Bank and USAID
• Representatives of Partner Institutions (Syngenta Foundation, CGIAR, ROPPA, AFSTA, AGRA, GNIS)
• Dear Colleagues
• Ladies and Gentlemen

First of all, I would like to thank the Authorities of the Republic of Mali for having allowed us to hold the statutory meetings, the second in the series, of the West African Regional Seed Committee, in this beautiful and welcoming city of Bamako.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the regional economic communities (ECOWAS and UEMOA) and the CILSS for the trust placed in my organization, CORAF/WECARD, which they have appointed as their technical arm.

More specifically, CORAF/WECARD received a mandate from His Excellency the President of the ECOWAS Commission, dated March 27, 2013, to coordinate the implementation of National Seed Committees (NSCs) in the 17 countries of the ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS space and the animation of the secretariat of the West Africa Regional Seed Committee for a period of five years.

Mr. General Secretary,

Ladies and Gentlemen

The time has come to report on the execution of the mission entrusted to us.

Thus CORAF/WECARD through its USAID-funded Seed Project for West Africa (PSAO), organized on December 13 and 14, 2013 in Ouagadougou a meeting of partners that resulted in recommendations on the modalities of implementation of the Harmonized Regulation of the ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS space.

Following this, two working sessions involving the UEMOA Commission, CILSS and CORAF/WECARD resulted in an agreement to implement the regional regulation, including an action plan for the establishment and operation of the NSCs and COASem-CRSU. This process led to the official launch, on August 03, 2015 in Abidjan, of the COASem-CRSU, followed by the first statutory meeting the next day.

A regional working group set up and led by CILSS has strengthened the process of adoption of the regional model by seed regulators and breeders in member states.

The result will undoubtedly be improved and more harmonized governance of the regulatory system, which will be accelerated by the sharing of experience between countries.

Mr. General Secretary,

Ladies and Gentlemen

We've already achieved a number of successes, and I'd like to highlight a few of them, with your indulgence.

Thus CORAF/WECARD is pleased to inform you that the level of implementation of the regional regulation has risen from 41% in 2013 to 84% in 2015, which has facilitated national and regional seed trade.

More than 900 agents have been given the means to carry out seed quality control, supported by the production of varietal catalogs that provide information on the genetic potential and adaptation zones of available varieties.

The private sector, one of the main players in seed production and trade, has also formed the West African Seed Industry Alliance (ASIWA), thanks to our facilitation work.

It is estimated that the quantity of seed supplied to farmers in the sub-region rose from 183,000 tonnes in 2012/13 to 372,000 tonnes in 2015, representing a 103% increase, and certified seed coverage rose from 14% to 22% over the same period.

Similarly, the value of marketed seeds rose from 215 million USD to 761 million USD, but we are still short of the potential value of 1.7 billion USD. These increases contribute to agricultural transformation and job creation.

Positive developments in the seed sector have also contributed to building an endogenous capacity to respond to regional challenges. We have seen this through the rapid seed assistance initiative for countries affected by the Ebola virus (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), which has supplied these countries with over 10,000 tonnes of quality seed from the region. Over 700,000 farmers were reached, producing more than 500,000 tonnes of rice for consumption, enough to feed over 2 million food-insecure people. To the best of our knowledge, this mobilization coordinated by CORAF/WECARD is the first case of a regional response to a regional crisis, and it eloquently demonstrates the power of the barriers that have fallen, as advocated by harmonization.

Despite these successes, challenges remain in the implementation of the regulation, including a low level of adoption in some countries and poor understanding by a certain segment of the population. Other challenges include adulteration of the seed market, unjustified cross-border restrictions and extortion, among others.

Mr. General Secretary,

Ladies and Gentlemen

CORAF/WECARD expects this meeting to renew our joint determination to seek new solutions to some of these challenges, which will enable the seed market to expand and flow more freely, thus contributing to the transformation of agriculture in our region, for the benefit of our populations.

I would like to conclude by congratulating the organizers for the quality work they have accomplished in such a short time to make this conference a reality. I would also like to thank in advance the facilitator, the interpreters and our friends from the public and private media for their respective contributions to the success of the proceedings and the dissemination of their results.

Thank you very much.

Bamako, August 29, 2016