The West African seed sector conclave in Dakar

Dakar, Senegal. The West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF) is organizing, under the aegis of the ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions and the Executive Secretariat of CILSS, in Dakar, from 9 to 11 July 2018, at the Ndiambour hotel, the Fourth Statutory Meeting of the Regional Committee for Seeds & Plants of West Africa (CRSPAO). This meeting is chaired by His Excellency Dr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Minister of Agriculture, and Rural Equipment, Senegal.

The purpose of the meeting is to review, among other things: (i) the state of implementation of the conclusions and recommendations of the 3rd Statutory Meeting of the CRSPAO, (Ouaga, 28 and 29 June 2017) (ii) the state of implementation, at the national level, of the Regional Semencier Harmonized Regulations by the Member States; (iii) the operationalization of the Seed Cooperation Agreement between ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS, and (iv) to address issues relating to the modalities of phytosanitary control of seeds, annual update of the Regional Catalog, its translation (in English and Portuguese) and its edition etc.

The Fourth Statutory Meeting of CRSPAO will see the participation of about 70 people, representatives of the National Seed Committees of the 17 States Parties to the Seed Cooperation Agreement, representatives of the ECOWAS Commissions and the UEMOA, the Executive Secretary of CILSS, the President of the Regional Committee for Sanitary Security of Plants, Animals and Foods, representatives of Regional Producer Organizations and the Seed Private Sector, Organizations of Seed Producers, Representatives of International Organizations involved in the field of seeds (ICRISAT, AfricaRice, IITA, AVRDC, FAO, AGRA, IFDC, GNIS, Monsanto, Syngenta Foundation, Seed.Co, etc.), and subregional institutions or initiatives operating in the field of seeds (USAID / WA, EU, World Bank, AfDB, NARS, Universities, FARA, etc.).

By the end of this Fourth Session, participants should have shared the state of implementation, at national and regional level, of the Harmonized Regional Seed Regulations by the Member States, thus strengthening the capacities of the National Seed Committees (CNS ) and the Official Seed Control and Certification Services (SOC) for the implementation of the Regional Seed Regulation. Moreover, this 4th session of the CRSPAO is the opportunity to present to the participants the substance of the Seed Cooperation Agreement, between ECOWAS, UEMOA and CILSS, which is an opportunity for regional integration in this area. space that covers 17 countries.