News

On July 25 and 26, 2016, members of the Steering Committee of the project to support the regional fruit fly management plan in West Africa, met in Lomé, to assess achievements and review regional and national work plans for the coming year. CORAF/WECARD, executing the applied research component of the project and also a member of the Steering Committee, took part in the proceedings.

Over the course of two days, members of the Steering Committee reviewed the progress of the current year's activities. The technical results achieved at regional and country level show that stakeholders and partners are on track to achieve the project's objectives. They examined the activities and budget programmed for the 2016-2017 period both at regional level and in the 8 countries benefiting from the project. The Steering Committee members welcomed and approved the membership applications from Nigeria, Togo and Guinea Bissau.

CORAF/WECARD shared with the members of the Steering Committee the main achievements of the project's Scientific Committee, which was set up under its supervision as the institution coordinating the applied research component of the project.

CORAF/WECARD was represented by Dr Ousmane N'doye, Regional Coordinator of the applied research component, and Dr Anatole KONE, CORAF/WECARD Communication Manager.

Running since February 2015, the €23.5 million project is co-financed by the European Union (EU) to the tune of €17 million, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to the tune of €1.5 million, the ECOWAS Commission to the tune of €1.5 million, and beneficiary states to the tune of €5 million. AFD, as the delegated agency for European funds, is responsible for the project on behalf of all donors.

The aim is to improve the incomes of fruit and vegetable growers, particularly small-scale producers, to improve food security in the sub-region and reduce poverty.

It should be pointed out that the project began in 2015 and will be completed in 2019. Regional coordination is provided by the Segerom, COLEACP and Berg consortium, which manages the surveillance, control, capacity-building and coordination components. The coordination unit is based in Bamako. The project is currently being implemented in 8 West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Senegal.

The Steering Committee, chaired by ECOWAS, is made up of UEMOA, the EU, AFD, CORAF/WECARD, ROPPA, EBID and Hub Rural.