TASAI disseminates the SSPI report during the WASRSSC

The 9th Statutory Meeting of the Regional Seed & Seedling Committee for West Africa and the Sahel (WARSSC/CRSPAOS) was convened by three regional agencies: the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). The meeting, held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from September 18th to 20th, 2024, was coordinated by CORAF (Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles).

The meeting brought together the heads of national seed regulatory agencies from 17 countries in West Africa, which are member states of ECOWAS, UEMOA, and CILSS. It was officially opened by Mrs. Massandje Toure-Liste, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture in the ECOWAS Commission, and Prof. Pascal Angui, the Director General for Food Production in the Ministry of Agriculture of Côte d’Ivoire. Additionally, there were remarks from Luisa Maria Dias Gomes Kalmongo, Officer in Charge of Economic Affairs and Agriculture at UEMOA, and Dr. Sylvain Nafiba Ouedraogo, Deputy Executive Secretary of CILSS.

TASAI, one of the observer organizations at the meeting, delivered a presentation sharing key findings from the recently released Seed Sector Performance Index (SSPI) 2023 Status Report for Africa. The presentation highlighted the findings specific to West Africa. In addition to the presentation, the TASAI representative networked with up to 10 officials from national seed regulatory agencies who served as SSPI national seed experts for their respective countries.

The SSPI research is implemented by TASAI and supported by the African Union Commission and AGRA, under the Africa Seed and Biotechnology Program (ASBP). The SSPI Africa Report can be accessed at SSPI.