Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) disseminated at the AFSF!

The 2023 Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) Status Report for Africa was disseminated at the African Food Systems Forum’s 2024 Summit on 2 September in Kigali, Rwanda. The SSPI is a new, single score-based measurement tool that provides “a bird’s eye view” of the health of national seed systems across the continent. The SSPI was developed by TASAI Inc., in partnership with AGRA and the African Union Commission.

The well-attended event was moderated by Enock Chikava, Director of Agricultural Delivery Systems at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), who praised the index as an important step towards providing more precise measurement of the status of national seed sectors across the continent: “A seed system is a journey that an improved seed variety takes from a breeder’s hands to the farmer’s field. This new report is valuable in pinpointing the critical stages along this journey that currently hinder access to improved seed varieties across Africa.”

Prof. Ed Mabaya, a Research Professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University and one of the authors of the report, introduced the SSPI, saying: “Improved seed is the software that powers agricultural productivity. In these seeds, breeders can encode traits for climate resilience, enhanced nutrition, extended shelf life, as well as pest and disease resistance. The SSPI report will guide decisions by donors, policymakers, and private sector investors to unlock these advantages for millions of smallholder farmers across Africa.”

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion by a group of influential seed sector experts from across the continent, including Dr. Ishiak Khalid, Director of the National Agricultural Seed Council, Nigeria, Dr. Yacouba Diallo, Secretary General of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), Dr. Ian Baker, Senior Director of Strategy, Delivery, and Scaling, One CGIAR, and Dr. George Bigirwa, the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), AGRA.

The comprehensive 230-page report includes detailed country briefs, indicator scores, and recommendations aimed at enhancing seed sector investment and efficiency across the continent. This indicates that, although there are some bright spots and consistent high performers to highlight, in most countries the report’s findings stress the urgent need to increase investment in seed systems to bolster agricultural productivity and sustainability. Importantly, in countries that consistently rank at the bottom of the list, concerted efforts are needed across the entire value chain to improve the variety release process, strengthen agricultural research capabilities, enhance government seed inspection and certification efforts, and create (or improve) initiatives to combat counterfeit seed.

To share the findings with a wider audience, TASAI is hosting a virtual dissemination meeting on 1 October 2024. Registration is open for this event. To view all of the photos from the launch, click here to visit our Flickr page.