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From September 18 to 20, 2024, CORAF is organizing the 9th ordinary meeting of the Comité Régional des Semences et Plantes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Sahel (CRSPAOS) in Côte d'Ivoire, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine (UEMOA), and the Comité Permanent Inter-États de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel (CILSS). 

This annual meeting will bring together representatives of member states, regional and sub-regional seed institutions, technical and financial partners and farmers' organizations to assess progress made in implementing the harmonized regional seed regulations adopted by ECOWAS in 2008.

The main objective of this meeting is to take stock of the implementation of the recommendations of the 8th session, held in Bissau in 2023, to assess the state of application of the harmonized regional seed regulations of the member countries of the ECOWAS-CILSS zone, and to evaluate the progress made in setting up the Regional Fertilizer Committee (COACE) and the Regional Pesticide Homologation Committee (COAHP). 

" Proper implementation of regional seed regulations goes hand in hand with strengthening the seed sector within each member state. In our countries, we therefore need to significantly increase the capacities of all players in the national seed value chain, to enable them to benefit from the harmonization of seed regulations ", emphasizes Professor Pascal K. T. ANGUI, Director General of Food Production and Security, representing Mr. Kobenan Kouassi ADJOUMANI, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Production of Côte d'Ivoire. 

To fully achieve this objective, states will need to give priority to the implementation of seed regulations. " The ECOWAS Commission recognizes the important role of quality seeds in improving agricultural productivity and achieving the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The Harmonized Regional Seed Regulations aim, among other things, to create the conditions conducive to the emergence of a strong seed industry, capable of ensuring a regular supply, at the right time, of quality seeds in sufficient quantity in the sub-region" affirms Mrs Massandje TOURE-LITSE, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture.

The effective harmonization of seed regulations in the ECOWAS-UEMOA-CILSS region should ultimately enable the free circulation of certified seeds, thus contributing to improved agricultural productivity and food self-sufficiency in West Africa and the Sahel. CORAF, mandated by ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS to implement and provide the technical secretariat for CRSPAO, will continue to play a central role in coordinating and leading these consultation platforms, with the technical and financial support of its partners, in order to guarantee effective implementation of harmonized seed regulations.

" The Comité régional des Semences et Plantes de l'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Sahel remains a key instrument for boosting agricultural development in West Africa and the Sahel, as it enables the implementation of regionally-agreed strategies to contribute to the emergence of a strong regional seed industry," says Dr Moumini SAVADOGO, Executive Director of CORAF. 

Evaluating the progress of the previous session held in Bissau in 2023, this 9th edition will provide a platform for exchanges on the accreditation of seed systems to OECD standards, and the establishment of fertilizer control and pesticide registration committees. 

During the meeting, the Plan Régional de Préparation et de Réponse aux Épidémies de Ravageurs et de Maladies en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre will be officially launched.

The ceremony is presided over by Professor Pascal K. T. ANGUI, Director General of Food Production and Security of Côte d'Ivoire, with the participation of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, officials from UEMOA, CILSS and technical and financial partners. 

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About CORAF

CORAF, a sub-regional organization made up of the national agricultural research systems of twenty-three West and Central African countries, is mandated to coordinate the implementation of sub-regional agricultural research policies as defined by governments. Created in 1987 with its Executive Secretariat in Dakar, Senegal, CORAF's main objective is to improve livelihoods in West and Central Africa, through sustainable increases in agricultural production and productivity, and to promote competitiveness and markets.

For more information: www.coraf.org/

For further information, please contact : 

Christel KENOU, Communications Manager, c.kenou@coraf.org 

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