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The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) sponsored the International Symposium on Science and Technology organized by Burkina Faso's National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) from October 24 to 28, 2016. T he central theme of this forum, which is "Valorization of research results on the following commodity chains: livestock-meat, maize, mango, millet, cowpea, onion, rice, sorghum, tomato, local poultry", is part of the implementation of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (PPAAO/WAAPP).

The overall aim of the symposium was to present the various results and technologies generated or introduced by the PPAAO/WAAPP in Burkina Faso to the international scientific community. According to Dr Roger Nebié, General Delegate of CNRST, "The aim is to create a framework for exchanging and sharing the results acquired in the WAAPP/BF sectors, and to encourage critical analysis of the results acquired by scientists, with a view to promoting the transfer of technologies from research structures to those involved in the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products, and to political decision-makers, in order to reinforce their adoption".

The symposium's patron, Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, Executive Director of CORAF/WECARD, thanked the Burkina Faso scientific community for choosing him and his organization, before praising the progress made by the Burkina Faso National Center for Fruit and Vegetable Specialization, supported by the PPAAO, which he described as "a success story in terms of achieving development objectives and technology exchange".

In terms of technology exchanges with other countries, CNS-Fruits et Légumes was able to introduce dried mango technology to Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria, helping to set up genuine agricultural entrepreneurs at national level. The same applies to the winter tomato technology introduced in Mali and Gambia. Burkina Fao has also received animal breeds from Niger and plantain varieties from Côte d'Ivoire. CORAF/WECARD also demonstrated Burkina's solidarity by joining other countries in mobilizing seeds for those affected by the Ebola epidemic.

As National Specialization Centers are powerful tools for sub-regional integration in West Africa, CORAF/WECARD also presented at the symposium models for regional agricultural integration and cooperation open to all players in the value chains of priority crops, promoting the mobility of agricultural development specialists, technologies and the sharing of experience within and between countries.

A concrete expression of sub-regional solidarity and the integration of peoples through the pooling of human and financial resources, as well as infrastructures that would otherwise be too costly for individual countries.