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The Joint Advisory Committee of two of West Africa's largest agricultural input projects is meeting from September 27, to review progress and make strategic readjustments to enable them to better meet their development challenges.

The Partnership for Agricultural Research, Education and Development in West Africa (PAIRED) and the Feeding the Future Increasing Growth through the Regional Agricultural Input Systems Project for West Africa (EnGRAIS) respectively provide quality seeds and fertilizers to West African farmers and producers. Both projects are implemented by CORAF and the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

"Overall, PAIRED has achieved significant results. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the momentum and impacted the implementation of our activities in the field", says Dr Hippolyte AFFOGNON, PAIRED Manager.

"This means that this Advisory Committee meeting takes on another level of importance, as it should help us understand what has been achieved and adjust future actions accordingly."

Over the course of two days, this virtual meeting will enable the management teams of both projects to present the main achievements of 2021 and to plan interventions for 2022.

The specific objectives of the two-day virtual meeting are as follows:

• Advise PAIRED and EnGRAIS management teams on strategic vision, direction, priorities and approaches at regional and/or national level;
• Propose priority actions to develop programs for the annual activities of the two projects;
• Assess progress in implementing annual programs against monitoring, evaluation and learning plans; and
• Act as a link between other regional programs and ongoing bilateral projects for the development of the fertilizer and seed sub-sectors.   

In addition to representatives from CORAF and IFDC, the Advisory Committee includes representatives from USAID and several regional organizations. 

The organizations represented on the Committee are listed below: 

• Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS);
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU);
• The Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) ;
• West African Fertilizer Association (WAFA);
• Alliance for the Seed Industry in West Africa (ASIWA) ;
• The Network of Farmers' Organizations and Agricultural Producers of West Africa (ROPPA).

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