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The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) actively participated in Desira Lift's international conference entitled "Boosting Agrifood Research and Innovation Cooperation for Impact at Scale" in Brussels from March 11-13, 2025. This event, supported by the European Union (EU), aimed to strengthen research and innovation (R&I) cooperation in the agrifood sector.

CORAF's strategic contribution to the transformation of agrifood systems

At this meeting, CORAF presented its main achievements in the context of several flagship projects funded by the European Union's DeSIRA initiative. These presentations demonstrated the concrete impact of agricultural research on the resilience of food systems in West and Central Africa.

Dr Fatou DIENG, CORAF's Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, who attended the conference, highlighted three key areas:

• Modernization of research centers: Thanks to the ABEE and BIORISKS projects, CORAF has equipped four research centers in Côte d'Ivoire (Wave), Burkina Faso (INERA), Niger (INRAN) and Senegal (ISRA) with modern infrastructure, thus improving local research and innovation capacities.

• Early warning systems: In collaboration with the WAVE program, CORAF has facilitated the implementation of a digital warning system called PlantNuru in ten countries, to anticipate and respond rapidly to biological threats in agriculture.

• Supporting the training of young researchers: Through the ABEE and BIORISKS projects, numerous PhD students benefit from grants and technical support, helping to strengthen the region's scientific human capital.

" CORAF's participation in this conference reflects our commitment to promoting impact-oriented agricultural research, in partnership with the European Union. Innovation, young scientists and regional cooperation are the pillars of our strategy ", emphasizes Dr Moumini Savadogo, Executive Director of CORAF, also present at the conference.

CORAF-EU cooperation: A lever for agricultural transformation

The Brussels conference was an opportunity for CORAF to reiterate that strategic partnerships with the EU are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the post-Malabo strategy and the African Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (STISA-2024).

As a reminder, CORAF is actively involved in several DeSIRA + projects funded by the European Union to the tune of 24 million euros, aimed at strengthening agricultural research and innovation in West and Central Africa. These projects include

• ABEE: This project aims to sustainably increase agricultural productivity and the resilience of small-scale farmers in the face of population growth, economic vulnerability and climate change, by strengthening networks and institutional capacities for plant improvement in West Africa.

• BIORISKS: This project The project aims to increase production, stable yields and incomes from the main food and fruit crops by controlling viral diseases of cassava, the fall armyworm of maize and the mango fly, enabling national players and regional networks to manage biological risks properly. 

• CAADP XP4: This project aims to stimulate the transformation of innovation in agricultural and food systems in West and Central Africa to make them more resilient to climate change and better meet development demands. 
• RADiUS: This project aims to support the agro-ecological transition of farms in order to strengthen economic, food and nutritional security in West and Central Africa. 

By sharing its successes, challenges and prospects, CORAF reinforces its role as a regional platform for coordinating agricultural research. Through its projects, it illustrates how applied research, supported by effective communication and a data-driven approach, can sustainably transform agricultural value chains.