Last Quarter Events

Update on the G8-NEPAD Africa-wide Meeting

The Accra meeting was the highest level event following the four regional meetings held in Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern Africa. The purpose of the meeting was to present the detailed action plans under the AU/NEPAD Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) for each of the Africa regions, advocate for support, and identify and articulate specific contributions for the implementation of the early actions identified. The most important decisions were to be presented at the G8 meeting held in July 2005 at Glen Eagles, Scotland, for mobilizing financial resources in support of the CAADP - that feeds into the Millennium Development goal of reducing hunger in sub-Saharan Africa to fifty percent by 2105.

The meeting was attended by approximately 300 participants representing the AU/NEPAD, regional economic communities, national governments including Ministers and Permanent Secretaries, directors of research including the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Centers, bilateral development agencies, development banks, private sector entities, and farmers organizations and other civil society groups.

Among the top USG officials were Lloyd Pierson, USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, and Doug Menarchik, USAID Assistant Administrator for Policy and Program Coordination. Several African Heads of State were invited but most were unable to attend. The President of Equatorial Guinea was among those who attended. The meeting was officially opened by the President of Ghana H.E. John Kufuor.

News about CORAF

USAID/WARP's Senior Agricultural Advisor/IEHA Coordinator participated in the 2005 Annual General Assembly of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research (CORAF/WECARD). The meeting was attended by most of the Research Director Generals from the 21 member states plus other scientists, representatives from the International Agricultural Research Centers, NGOs, and a limited number of donors and private sector representatives. The meeting was officially opened by the Senegalese Minster of Livestock. In general, CORAF made a much better presentation of its programs than in previous years.

Prior to the GA meeting, the IEHA Coordinator also participated in the CORAF pre-award assessment of its financial management systems conducted by USAID/Senegal on behalf of WARP. This exercise took place in the context of CORAF's relative low capacity and WARP's desire to strengthen the organization in order to attain its vision of becoming the lead regional institution for research coordination in the region. The conclusions were generally positive.

Sorghum & Millet Project Field Visit, Senegal

USAID/WARP's Senior Agricultural Advisor/IEHA Coordinator, Robert Kagbo, visited the Institute of Food Technology (ITA) and Les Mamelles Jaboot Company in Dakar, Senegal in May.

Following brief discussions on the INTSORMIL project, addressing marketing constraints as well as the food and feed sectors in sorghum and millet in Senegal, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, the Director of the ITA, Dr. Ababacar Ndoye toured the laboratory facilities where the analyses are done on various sorghum varieties to determine the level of the chemical tannin. The analyses are in relation to the use of sorghum as poultry feed.

The facilities of a Senegalese entrepreneur who makes a delicious yogurt containing up to 40 percent millet were also visited. Demand in Dakar for this product exceeds the supply partly due to inadequate supply of quality millet produce from farmers.

ECOWAS Ministerial Conference on Biotechnology

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Malian Ministry of Agriculture hosted the ECOWAS Ministerial Conference on Biotechnology: Strategies and Actions for Sustainable Agricultural Production, Safe for Humans and the Environment, on June 21-24, in Bamako, Mali. The Ministers adopted recommendations that build on the momentum from two previous Ministerial Conferences, in Sacramento 2003 and in Ouagadougou, 2004, moving beyond general statements on support towards concrete actions for regional cooperation on biotechnology and biosafety. Among the recommendations, the Ministers urged ECOWAS to develop a detailed action plan for implementation of the program within the next three months. The Ministers agreed to hold the next Ministerial conference on Biotechnology in Accra, Ghana, in June 2006.

All sixteen ECOWAS member states were represented at the meeting, and over 200 participants from governments, national and international research institutions, non-governmental organizations and donors attended the conference. Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal were represented at the level of the Ministers. The U.S. was represented by a delegation led by Ambassador Mattie Sharpless (USDA), Franklin Moore (USAID) and Madelyn Spirnak (DOS). USAID provided financial and technical support to the Malian Planning Committee that organized the meeting.

Planning Workshop on Rice Biotech Project held

Jorge Oliveira, USAID/WARP Food Security Advisor, attended a WARDA planning workshop on the development on rice varieties resistant to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus, May 11-13, in Bamako, Mali. The WARP-supported project seeks to develop rice varieties resistant to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus through Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) and ensure adoption in four countries through Farmer Participatory Selection; training of PhD students and NARS scientists in MAS techniques; and strengthen biotech facilities in Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia and Guinea.

FAO Locust Donor Meeting

Harry Bottenberg, USAID/WARP Agricultural Development Advisor, participated in the FAO Locust Donor Meeting, held in Bamako, Mali from May 2-4. Donors discussed available resources and current needs for the upcoming 2005 campaign. Predictions for the 2005 locust invasion are much less than anticipated last year; therefore, no additional funds are needed. However, it is critical that donors communicate closely to avoid duplication of resources or gaps in coverage.

Agrhymet Rainfall Predictions for West Africa

The CILSS prevention and crisis department held their second annual meeting of Food Security Information Systems to prepare for the next crop season and to analyze the consequences of the 2004/2005 agriculture campaign. The meeting took place in Dakar, Senegal. The meeting was attended by representatives of CILSS, FAO, FEWS NET, WFP and partners (E.U, USAID, France, Canada, and Italy), and follows on that held in Bamako in March. Zones at risk and assistance needs were identified. Countries with vulnerable zones are Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Cape Verde and the north of Burkina Faso.

The second part of the meeting was dedicated to preparing the 2005/2006 agriculture campaign. Agrhymet center in collaboration with the African Meteorological Center, presented the seasonal rain forecast. Above-average rainfall is predicted for the Western Sahel (Senegal, southern Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and southern Mali); normal with some deficit for Burkina Faso, eastern Mali. Niger and Chad, and below normal for the coastal countries.

Vulnerability Assessment Mechanism Being Implemented

USAID/WARP's Food Security Advisor, Jorge Oliveira, participated in the Steering Committee of the VAM project, held in Dakar on May 10, on the headquarters of the WFP. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Executive Secretary of CILSS, the Director General of Agrhymet Center, representatives of WFP, France, Canada, Italy, FEWS NET USAID/WARP, and others CILSS staff.

The objective of this meeting was to clarify the position of each institution on the implementation of the mechanism and to have information on the tests led by Agrhymet in Niger and WFP in Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania. The meeting also decided to call a technical committee meeting as soon as possible to analyze the advancement of the work and to plan the details of implementation in the countries.

CILSS Headquarters News

USAID/WARP's Food Security Advisor visited the CILSS Headquarters, to discuss administrative and finance details related with USAID/WARP's support to CILSS. He also participated in the selection committee to choose the new administrative and financial coordinator of CILSS Headquarters.

The CILSS/Partners Monitoring Reform Committee held its last meeting in Ouagadougou, June 21, to examine the recruitment process, a proposal for a Framework partnership between CILSS and its partners, and to prepare for the high level meeting of the CILSS Partners' Committee in Paris, France.

Upcoming Events

International Conference on Aflotoxin, September, Accra, Ghana

The International institute of Tropical Agriculture will host an international conference on Aflotoxin. Aflotoxin is a carcinogenic toxin produced by fungi growing on stored peanuts, corn etc. after harvest.

IEHA Coordinators' Meeting, October, Washington D.C.

Among the issues to be discussed include the implementation of the early actions of the AU/NEPAD CAADP as a follow-on to the Accra, Ghana, G8-NEPAD meeting in May; Africa Bureau's new strategic framework and IEHA link with CAADP; and joint programming with Food For Peace resources.

CILSS Partners' Group Meeting, September, Paris, France

This is a high-level meeting of CILSS and its partners to discuss collaboration and new orientations.

Third Annual PREGEC meeting, September

CILSS will organize in late September the third annual 'Prevention of Crisis' (PREGEC) meeting to analyze the 2005 agriculture season and make a qualitative estimate of crop production in the Sahel region