News

• A new center of excellence to combat transboundary plant pathogens will be inaugurated at a major ceremony scheduled for May 27 and 28, 2021 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. 
• Farmers, producers and millions of other players in the food system value chain will be the main beneficiaries of the center. 
• The center is made possible by Central and Wis African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) for food security and CORAF thanks to funding from donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the European Union, as well as political support from ECOWAS and ECCAS.
• A high-level dialogue on viral diseases of cassava will aim to ensure the implementation of national action plans and the strengthening of partnerships to combat these pathogens. 

Migratory insects, plant diseases and other pests pose a major threat to the harvests and incomes of farmers in West and Central Africa. As locusts, army worms, fruit flies, banana and cassava diseases, wheat rust, etc. spread across West and Central Africa, farmers are losing their crops, food security is threatened and local biodiversity and the environment are damaged. 

However, this situation is about to change thanks to the efforts being made by WAVE and CORAF with financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the European Union, with political backing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

During a high-level meeting co-organized by WAVE and CORAF in collaboration with the government of Côte d'Ivoire, scheduled for May 27-28, 2021, a new regional center on transboundary plant pathogens will be inaugurated. 

The event, to be held at the Pôle Scientifique et d'Innovation of the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Bingerville, Abidjan, will bring together key national and regional players in the West and Central African food system, and will also aim to engage in high-level dialogue on key issues relating to cassava virus diseases. 

"For farmers and all players in the agricultural value chain in West and Central Africa, this center is an important part of the solution for sustainably combating transboundary plant pathogens. That's what this center is all about", says Professor Justin Pita, Executive Director of WAVE.

Regional centers of excellence are tools used to tackle a major challenge in agricultural research. They are also spaces for exchanging ideas, creating synergies and pooling human, financial and material resources. 

"Our agriculture is subject to numerous constraints, the effects of which are exacerbated by climate change. This is why the food and nutritional security of our populations has become a major concern. This regional center can provide sustainable solutions that will help transform the agricultural economy of West and Central Africa", says Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, Executive Director of CORAF.

Operational national plans 

Under the aegis of WAVE and in partnership with national partners, ten West and Central African countries have developed national response plans against plant virus diseases. These plans must now be implemented. 

In addition to inaugurating the new regional center on transboundary plant pathogens, the Abidjan event will also provide a platform for Ministers from several West and Central African countries, alongside other decision-makers and experts, to reflect on the monitoring and management of viral diseases of cassava. 

In addition to inaugurating the new center of excellence on transboundary plant pathogens, the Abidjan ceremony will enable ministers from several West and Central African countries, as well as numerous decision-makers and experts, to focus on the monitoring and management of viral diseases of cassava.

During the two-day meeting, discussions will focus on knowledge of the main viral diseases of cassava and the operationalization of national action plans. Several round tables are scheduled to discuss approaches for strengthening synergies between national and regional organizations in order to establish an effective surveillance system.