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As part of a close collaboration to promote agriculture in West Africa, a delegation from the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) was granted an audience with Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture of the ECOWAS Commission (Economic Community of West African States) on Thursday September 7, 2023. The meeting took place at the ECOWAS Commission's annex offices in Abuja, Nigeria.

A long-standing commitment

During the meeting, Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE warmly welcomed the CORAF delegation, praising the long and fruitful collaboration between the two institutions. She expressed the ECOWAS Commission's gratitude for CORAF's notable achievements in agricultural research and technological innovation in the West African region.

In his turn, the Vice-President of CORAF's Board of Directors, Dr. Yassine DOUDOUA, also praised the Commissioner's commitment and thanked ECOWAS for the trust placed in CORAF. The key points on the agenda were: i) Presentation of CORAF's Achievements on behalf of ECOWAS; ii) Exchanges on New Partnership Projects between ECOWAS and CORAF; and iii) Organization of CORAF's 14th General Assembly in 2024.

A fruitful partnership, concrete achievements

Since 2005, ECOWAS has designated CORAF as its technical arm for the implementation of its priority agricultural research programs within the framework of the operationalization of the Regional Agricultural Policy, ECOWAP. Over the years, this collaboration has enabled the implementation of joint projects and initiatives, such as the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP), the Fruit Fly Management Project, and many others.

This collaboration has enabled the pooling of human, material and financial resources to set up a network of national centers of specialization, evolving into regional centers of specialization and excellence. It has also fostered cross-border exchanges of technology and innovation, and the training of a large number of executives to strengthen NARS operations.

The delegation submitted to ECOWAS a document capitalizing on this partnership, currently being edited, for comment before distribution.

Towards a collaborative agricultural future  

The meeting also addressed a wide range of topics crucial to agricultural development in West Africa, including working mechanisms between CORAF and national research institutions, the revision of the CORAF-ECOWAS cooperation agreement, and the revision of the ECOWAS-CILSS-UEMOA tripartite agreement on the implementation of the Regional Seed Regulations.

The two institutions stressed the need to strengthen collaboration and agreed to jointly draw up a roadmap. They agreed on the importance of establishing regular follow-up mechanisms beyond the annual meetings of the ECOWAP Projects and Programs Steering Committee.

The session also focused on preparations for CORAF's 14th General Assembly, scheduled for April 2024 in Cotonou, Benin, under the theme "Increasing collaboration with the private sector in West and Central Africa to mitigate the impact of climate, health and security crises on agriculture". CORAF expressed its wish to co-sponsor the event with ECOWAS, and requested the latter's financial support for its organization.