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A new roadmap to enable CORAF to strengthen its cooperation with its partners in Central Africa has been drawn up following extensive consultations with Central African stakeholders.

Meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from November 22 to 24, 2021, CORAF stakeholders reviewed and validated a wide-ranging plan to facilitate the integration of Central Africa into CORAF activities.

"We've always worked in Central Africa, as evidenced by the two dozen or so projects we've implemented in Central African countries over the last few decades", argues Dr Angela Moreno, Chairman of CORAF's Board of Directors.

"But if we are to attempt to reverse current trends in food and nutrition insecurity for nearly 430 million people in West and Central Africa, we need to step up our activities in providing proven research solutions in Central Africa." Dr Moreno led the CORAF delegation to the discussions in Kinshasa.

At the heart of the roadmap are plans to strengthen scientific cooperation between CORAF and the regional economic communities (Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique centrale -CEEAC- and Communauté économique et monétaire de l'Afrique centrale -CEMAC-). The Central African players also called on CORAF to shape the new strategic direction of ECCAS, by supporting two regional centers of excellence. These are the Pôle régional de recherche appliquée au développement des systèmes agricoles d'Afrique centrale (PRASAC) and the Centre africain de recherches sur bananiers et plantains (CARBAP). The plan also includes the organization of a regional agricultural show to further disseminate technologies.

CORAF was also called upon to engage more closely with countries, notably all ECCAS member countries, including Rwanda, Angola and Burundi.

CORAF currently has a memorandum of understanding with ECCAS. Discussions in Kinshasa concluded with CORAF seeking to establish a similar MoU with CEMAC. Negotiations will also be conducted to enable CORAF to have observer status at meetings of the regional economic communities in order to provide better scientific guidance to both institutions.

The DRC's largest research institution, the Institut national pour l'étude et la recherche agronomique (INERA), hosted the Kinshasa meetings in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, under the patronage of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation.

The event is funded by the Science-led Climate-Adapted Agricultural Transformation in West and Central Africa (CAADP-XP4) project, a European Union-funded project implemented by CORAF.