Monthly Bulletin of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development
Number 11 (NOVEMBER 2009)
Scientific and Technical Commitee (STC) :
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the members held their 7th ordinary session
he members of the Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) met from 20th to 22nd October 2009 in Dakar for committee’s 7th ordinary session. Operation of the programmes and the scientific perspectives for CORAF/WECARD, were discussed.
During the three days, the STC held discussion on the eleven items inscribed on the agenda. These points were related to the review of the 2010 workplans of CORAF/WECARD's programmes ; presentation of progress report on the implementation of CORAF/WECARD operational plan from November 2008 to October 2009 ; the presentation of the 2010 workplan for CORAF/ WECARD's programmes and associated projects ; the presentation of CORAF/WECARD's 2010 workplan alongside Consolidated Annual budget ; CORAF/WECARD's monitoring and evaluation strategy ; the integration of the Integrated Agricultural Research for Development Paradigm (IAR4D) concept ; the presentation of the draft programme of the 2nd West and Central African Agricultural Science Week and of the 9th session of the General Assembly ; the presentation of the Cooperation Framework of CORAF/WECARD's Centres of excellence ; and the internal rules of the STC.
The members of the STC, the staff of the Executive Secretariat and some resource persons sharing CORAF/WECARD's scientific experiences..
After meeting behind closed doors, the members of the STC provided some recommendations to the Executive Secretariat. Among these recommendations, the following are worth stressing: the initiation of actions to better position itself and getting the Central African member
AUSAID-CORAF/WECARD :
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the content of the convention is being finalized
delegation from the Australian Government's Over-seas Aid Programme (AusAID), Dr Bruce Pengelly and Sara Webb held working sessions, on 14th and 15th October 2009 in Dakar with Dr Paco Sérémé and his colleagues to finalize the terms of partnership agreement between AusAID and CORAF/WECARD. The two parties shared ideas on the mechanism of cooperation and on the way forward. After a brief presentation of the activities of the programmes by the respective managers, CORAF/WECARD and
Aus-AID agreed to collaborate in the areas of staple and non staple crops, natural resources management, croplivestock integration, capacity strengthening and biotechnology. The mechanism of cooperation will be in the form of cooperation visits in common interests on the above-mentioned domains and on exchanges visits between the Australian universities and CORAF/ WECARD. For the way forward, CORAF/WECARD will share its system of funding to AusAID and will appoint two personnel who will be in contact with the new partner.
countries more involved in all the activities and opportunities ; a good appropriation of concepts like IAR4D at the internal level and at the level of the NARS and of Partners, as well, that should undergo some tests before being promoted.
E.S. of CORAF/WECARD : staff retreat
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n 12th and 13th October 2009, the staff of the Executive Secretariat met during a retreat in order to interact, create synergies and harmonize the ideas on CORAF/WECARD's programmatic, administrative and financial issues. They took this opportunity to discuss on the 2010 plan of activities. At the end of two days of deliberation, the draft workplans and CORAF/WECARD's programme departmental and consolidated annual budget for 2010 were finalized ; the agenda of the main activities of the Executive Secretariat of CORAF/WECARD was adopted; the workplan and the documents of the statutory meetings of the Scientific and Technical Committee, the Governing Board and the 2010 General Assembly were reviewed.
ASARECA :
PRIA :
the 2009-2016 strategic plan for the livestock programme validated
experts meeting in Yamoussoukro
n the framework of the implementation of its 2009-2016 Strategic Plan, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), did a draft report on the situation of livestock, This report had been prepared by its staff of consultants for the benefit of its Livestock programme. ASARECA convened a workshop in Nairobi from 29th September to 3rd October, 2009 in order to validate this report. In the presence of all the Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture sub-sector stakeholders in Eastern and Central Africa (NARS, CGIAR, NGOs, the private sector, corporate bodies, regional institutions, etc.), the research areas and results were reviewed, discussed, revised and validated. The main constraints and opportunities of the livestock, fisheries and aquaculture sub-sectors in Eastern and Central Africa that need a regional approach of intervention were also adopted. The necessary and sufficient thematic domains of intervention and the respective subthemes to meet identified constraints and opportunities and indicative strategic interventions were discussed. Finally, the workshop delibarated the coherence between the Action Plan of the Programme and that of ASARECA in terms of objectives, results and strategic interventions.
After the synthesis workshop on the study reports of the Regional Agricultural Investment Programme (PRIA)'s six thematic groups, the ECOWAS experts in agriculture met from 19th to 20th October in Yamoussoukro, in C么te d'Ivoire, to review and validate all the proposals the region will present at an International Conference on funding of the ECOWAP/CAADP. During the workshop, participants reviewed the proposed mobilization programmes, they also reviewed the results of the studies on the regional instruments of public policy ; they shared on the ECOWAP/CAADP's global institutional steering and funding system before examining the draft ECOWAS positioning paper. The Participants were satisfied that the project document that was submitted to them represented a good basis for the forthcoming negotiations with the technical and financial partners. The workshop invited the ECOWAS Commission to undertake, in a reasonable timeframe, the formulation of a second generation of mobilizing programmes with a view to support the development of the products and sectors that had not been specifically targeted in the first series of programmes.
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SCARDA :
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the evaluator holds discussions with the stakeholders of the CORAF/WECARD region
he SCARDA programme mid-term review conducted in February 2009, upon the request of the DFID, the donor, made a number of recommendations aiming at correcting the shortcomings observed in order to improve upon programme implementation. It was also planned that after, approximately 6 months another assessment of the programme would be carried out. It was in this context that the evaluator convened a consultative meeting, on 30th September 2009 in Accra, between himself and some SCARDA stakeholders at the level of CORAF/WECARD.
The Assessor aimed at getting more information from the participating stakeholders and, above all, from focal institutions on the progresses that had made in the implementation of the project since March 2009.
Discussions on the future perspectives of the project were also held. At the end of the deliberations, the evaluator acknowledged the success achieved by the SCARDA programme as a whole since the February 2009 midcourse review despite the problem of lack of funds;
the progresses achieved in the implementation of the SCARDA project have been appreciated.
The evaluator particularly valued the tangible progress achieved by the SCARDA project in the CORAF/WECARD region with respect to the Participatory Action Plans (PAP) drafted by the four focal institutions;
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The delegates of the SCARDA project wished to see the project extended beyond June 2010 without extra costs in order to facilitate the implementation of all the key activities related to the change management process.
WAAPP:
PNIA :
CORAF/WECARD diagnoses information systems
Benin convenes a roundtable of stakeholders and partners
To articulate WAAPP Activities at the level of CORAF/WECARD's (regional coordination) and that of beneficiary countries appropriate information and communication systems are very important in keeping WAAPP stakeholders and partners. In order to ensure an appropriate communication strategy, CORAF/WECARD conducted a diagnosic study of the communication systems in the three countries. This activity carried out in Senegal from 14th to 15th October 2009. With the support of WAAPP coordinator in Senegal, Dr Amadou DIA, CORAF/WECARD staff that comprised Dr Anatole KONE, the Information and Communication Ma-
nager, and Gorgui Alioune MBOW, the ICT Assistant, reviewed the information and communication that had been carried out in Senegal within the project. At the end of the two working days, information and communication needs were collected, an inventory ongoing activities has been done in communication, the communication systems were audited, the target groups of the WAAPP project's activities were identified and the scientific managers determined the needs for drafting a directory of specialities. Mali and Ghana will be next countries to visit.
CEMAC/ECCAS programmes:
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an assessment conducted in Cameroon
he Central African States gathered in the Monetary and Economic Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) have been benefiting from community programmes and projects connected with transportation and telecommunications, natural and energetic resources, scientific and technical research; agricultural and industrial development and human resources valorization. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the main donor, and the beneficiaries recently took stock of the situation.
After a few days of debates, it emerged that the achievement of the objectives of the programmes and projects in Central Africa depended on CEMAC and ECCAS' capacities to take on the regional leadership with appropriate means and through a common, concerted and convergent approach. As a consequence, the synthesis report stressed that measures should be taken by decision-makers at the judicial, financial and institutional level with a view to trigger the community dynamics and to effectively build an integrated economic space in Central Africa.
The Mano River Union :
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reflections on the management of natural resources
he Mano River Union experts in natural resources management convened in a regional workshop on the best management of natural resources in the Union's region from 30th September to 1st October in Freetown. The main objective of this meeting was to enable the stakeholders and the partners adopt the Action Plan for the management of natural resources in the Mano River Union. It must be recalled that the Mano River Union that comprises Liberia, C么te d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone committed themselves in a multilateral cooperation for the best conservation and management of natural resources in order to improve the living conditions of the region's populations. CORAF/WECARD was represented at the ceremony by Dr Abdulai Jalloh, its natural resources manager.
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o improve the performances of agriculture in Benin in contributing to ensure food security in a sustainable way, the National Agricultural Investment Plan (PNIA) was held last 15th and 16th October in Cotonou. The PNIA is the ECOWAP/CAADP's implementation tool at the national level, which defines the development options that are necessary for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. During the roundtable, the stakeholders had been looking forward to reached a consensus on the PNIA and on the Strategic Plan for the Revitalise of the Agricultural Sector (PSRSA). In all, nine ministries and their partners participated in the roundtable during which the Agricultural Development Pact of Benin was signed.
PNIA : The Gambia gets its pact signed The agricultural sector stakeholders and decision-makers in The Gambia met within the framework of the roundtable of the National Agricultural Investment Plan (PNIA) from 27th to 28th October, 2009 in Banjul. All the direct and indirect stakeholders of the agricultural sector in The Gambia participated in this important meeting which was not only an opportunity for a meeting but also for sharing information situation and perspectives of agriculture in The Gambia in order to enable it to effectively contribute to food security. The document of the PNIA that commits all the agricultural development sec*tor stakeholders in The Gambia was signed in the presence of delegates from ministries of agriculture ; trade ; forestry ; fisheries and environment ; of CORAF/WECARD; ECOWAS ; UNDP ; the European Commission and the Spanish Embassy.
Syngeta Fondation CORAF/WECARD :
WAAPP :
a partnership in the becoming
the Pilot Committee members met in an ordinary session in Kumasi
D
r Oumar NIANGADO, the representative of the Syngeta Foundation in Africa, and his female colleague in charge of agricultural policy issues recently visited CORAF/WECARD's headquarters to discuss with the managers on a perspective partnership. This took place on 28th October, 2009. After being introduced to CORAF/WECARD and to its programmes, the Syngeta Foundation delegation expressed its satisfaction with the progresses made by CORAF/WE-CARD during the last three years through its Strategic and Operational Plans. Dr NIANGADO stressed that the Syngeta Foundation's visit to partners like CORAF/WECARD is in line with the inquest to strengthen to their relationship and the present its new domain
of work in agricultural development.
He recalled that since 2000 the Syngeta Foundation has been supporting agricultural technology transfer, contributing to the improvement of productivity for food security and markets, and to the seed-system strengthening.
From 2010, the Syngeta Foundation that has been operating its influence in Mali up to now, wants to go further, and more precisely to Burkina Faso and Senegal through the provision of good rice, maize and sorghum seeds to producers. The Syngeta Foundation aims to achieve this mission through collaborating with CORAF/WECARD and the Africa Rice Centre (WARDA) the regional representative of WARDA in Senegal, Dr Vincent BADO, was part of the delegation.
After the Dakar meeting in 2008, the Regional Steering Committee members of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) met from 26th to 30th October 2009 in Kumasi for the 2nd ordinary session.
After one-year operation, the national and subnational stakeholders and partners which constitute Regional Steering Committee are conducting an assessment and sharing on the activities planned for 2010 at the regional andnational levels.
It must be recalled that the Regional Steering Committee (RSC) is the WAAPP's body of orientation, monitoring and control. This committee is in charge of examining and approving the documents of management prepared by CORAF/WECARD and participating countries. It is a consultation framework with a conflict arbitration function. To sum up, the CRP is the project's organ of decision making and of reference. The Kumasi meeting reviewed all the activities carried out since the first session of the RSC and, above all, to share information on the workplan and on the budget for 2010 financial year.
CTA / UCAD :
4th - 6th November, 2009, Abuja, Nigeria. Meeting of WAAPP's stakeholders and partners on phase 2.
capacity strengthening for collaborative research Monthly Bulletin of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development
Director of Publication Simon Zok
Director of the newsroom Paco Sérémé
Editor-in-Chief
Anatole Yékéminan Koné
Newsroom
Julienne Kuiseu Ernest Assah Asiedu
Layout
Alassane DIA
On line Gorgui Alioune Mbow
French version available
CORAF/WECARD, BP 48 Dakar RP CP 18523, Sénégal Tél. : (221) 33 869 96 18 Fax : (221) 33 869 96 31 E-mail : paco.sereme@coraf.org anatole.kone@coraf.org Internet : www.coraf.org
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9th - 13th November 2009, Bamako, Mali. Tour of CORAF/WECARD's communication department for the diagnosis of the communication systems for the implementation of the WAAPP communication strategy.
esearchers from West African Universities and Research Institutions met from 26th to 30th October, 2009 at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar for a regional training session on the Web 2.0 tools for collaborative research. The general objective was to equip researchers with the appropriate tools for the development of collaborations on scientific contents. During the week-long meeting, the participants identified and explored currently available Web 2.0 tools ; they learnt how to develop the themes contents by using Web 2.0 tools and with WikiEducator as a basis.
9th - 11th November 2009, Dakar, Senegal. Regional launching workshop on the " Enhancing the resilience of livelihood for poverty reduction in West African semi-arid regions (PLM) " project. 16th - 20th November 2009, Accra, Ghana. Tour of CORAF/WECARD communication department for the diagnosis of the communication systems for the implementation of the WAAPP communication strategy.
15th - 24th November 2009, Dakar, Senegal. Training session to the process of institutional change targeted at the Programmes Managers
24th - 25th November 2009, Yaoundé, Cameroon. Sensitization session on the CAADP, Pillar 4 targeted at the stakeholders and partners from Central Africa.
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