CORAF/WECARD’s stakeholders and partners conducted a participa-tory assessment of the change management process

The 12th workshop on change management aimed at CORAF/-WECARD’s stakeholders and partners was held in Saly Portudal, in

Senegal, from 21st to 23rd June, 2010. It focused on the assessmentof the change activities begun in 2009 and on proposals of actions for thecoming years. 11 workshops on change management, aimed at the 300 stakeholdersand partners of CORAF/WECARD, have been held from January 2009to April 2010. Following this first phase appreciated by all, the stakeholders and part-ners met to draw the lessons and to propose a draft strategy for changemanagement in CORAF/WECARD for the 2010 – 2016 period.During three days, the participants proceeded to the global review of thechanges and processes achieved in CORAF/WECARD from 2006 to2010, both at the level of the subregion and at that of the NARS mem-bers, through case studies in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Sierra Leone andCôte d’Ivoire.The participants analysed the strengths and weaknesses of the variousexperiences during the last years before making proposals for a strategyover the 2010- 2016 period.

Monthly Bulletin of the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development

Number 18 (JULY 2010)

Change Management : drawing the lessons from the first phase

Access to regional and international markets ofagricultural products : a workshop on the subject

«Political dialogue to promote access toregional and international markets of

agricultural products in West and CentralAfrica ». This was the theme of the works-hop held in Accra from the 22nd to 25thJune 2010 and organised by FARA. The growth of the inter- and intra - Africantrade is a decisive factor in poverty reduc-tion. But, the efforts aiming at its promotionare still weak because of the constraintswhich weigh on the offer, the increasingnumber of grants afforded to African produ-cers by developed countries.In order to contribute to reducing theseconstraints, FARA has decided to organisea series of political dialogues that wouldfacilitate the proposals of political optionsbased on coherent and consensual analy-ses which can improve the state of agricul-

tural trade in Africa. This Accra workshop,which is the 2nd after the one of Nairobi,allowed the participants to advocate forefficient regional trade policies whichwould ease access to regional and interna-tional markets, to clarify the added value ofregional approaches and their alignmentwith related initiatives with an emphasis onregional integration, and finally, to identifyand agree on political options that cansolve the issues of the grants that thedeveloped countries give the African pro-ducers and which change the market data. Dr Mbène Faye, the Policy, Markets andTrade Programme Manager, representedCORAF/WECARD at this important works-hop

The AGRHYMET Regional Centre (CRA)is CORAF/WECARD’s lead-service

Provider for the implementation of theactivities of the Strengthening Capacityfor Agricultural Research and Develop-ment in Africa (SCARDA) programme. Inthe framework of the partnership withCORAF/WECARD, the training and re-search unit in relationship with the otherbodies of the CRA organises the mis-sions of monitoring/control in the SCARDAprogramme pilot countries. Globally, the quality assurance that theCRA proposes in the framework of theSCARDA programme deals with theadoption of a series of activities, of normsand criteria aiming at ensuring that thetraining that is offered to target countriesare coherent and that they achieve theset objectives of the said project.

CORAF/WECARD-CRApartnership : the activities are well conducted in theframework of the SCARDA

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After his recruitment as the Natural Re-source Programme Manager, Dr Abdulai

Jalloh has undertaken a reference studywhich includes the identification of researchpriorities for the sustainable management ofnatural resources and the development of astrategy aimed at the implementation of theactivities for a sustainable agricultural produc-tion that takes into account the conservationof the subregion’s natural resources. In the framework of this study, consultantshave been selected for the 3 components ofthe programme : soil and water management;biodiversity and socio-economy. Prof.Edwards Rhodes from the Agricultural Re-search Institute of Sierra Leone and senior

Identification of research priorities for the sustainable management of naturalresources in West and Central Africa : the process is going well

The female staff of CORAF/WECARD’s Executive Secretariat was honoured on 4thJune 2010 on the occasion of the Mother’s day. A total of 11 women from all socio-

professional categories were congratulated for the work they had accomplished at theExecutive Secretariat and in their respective families. In return, they acknowledged thehonour that had been given to them and expressed their gratitude to the ExecutiveDirector for all the efforts he has made to put the whole staff of the ES in good workingconditions.Each member of the female staff received a loincloth from the male staff.

2010 Mother’s Day : the Executive Secretariat celebrates the female staff

consultant is in charge of the soil and watersector ; Dr Pape Ndiengou Sall, the ExecutiveDirector of the Senegal National Fund ofAgricultural and Agroalimentary Research(FNRAA) and Dr Amadou Abdoulaye Fallfrom the Senegalese Agricultural ResearchInstitute are responsible for biodiversity andsocioeconomy. Since a few months, theconsultants have been travelling all over thecountries that have been selected in the 3 agro-ecological zones of CORAF/WECARD in orderto ex-change with the key stakeholders, far-mer organisations and the managers of theinstitutions involved in the issues of natural re-source management. Dr Abdulai Jalloh, CORAF/WECARD Natural

Resource Management Programme Manager

A family photo to immortalize this ceremony enjoyed by all

The 4th ordinary session of the AfricanResearch Centre for Banana and

Plantain (CARBAP) was held in Njombéin Cameroon on 25th June, 2010. During this session, the participants revie-wed the report on the implementation ofthe recommendations of the 3rd sessionof the GB, the presentation of the centre’smanagement report on the 2009 – 2010period, the 2009 scientific activities report,the 2010 programme of activities andCARBAP funding. The GB also recommended CARBAP the2010 – 2019 strategic planning in line withCORAF/WECARD, CEMAC and PRA-SAC for the implementation of a monito-ring and evaluation body and the conti-nuation of the financial resource diversifi-cation. At the end of this session, CARBAP wasasked to assess the projects of theScientific Council and, above all, toensure their integration in CARBAP’sstrategic vision and orientations. Moreover, the GB acknowledged the inte-rim decision for the position of CARBAPdirector and urged for the relaunch of theassessment process of the position ofCARBAP director by the CEMAC authori-ties, during this transitory period, in orderto ensure the sustainable management ofthe CARBAP.

CARBAP : the 4th ordinary session of theGoverning Board

ECOWAS-ECOWAP :stakeholders and partners convene toassess the PRIA and the PNIA

The FSP project : official launch of the activities in Bamako

The stakeholders and partners of the sec-tions 1 and 2 of the component 1 of the

«Cotton Mobilizing Priority Solidarity Fund(FSP) » project officially launched the activitiesof this component on the 28th and 29th June,2010 in Bamako. Besides this official launch of the activities, theparticipants finalised the countries action plansand budgets and consensually identified regio-nal activities, they also defined the commonadministrative and financial procedures for themanagement of the project and the commonprocedures for the activities implementation. This project shows France’s real interest in theimplementation of a Europe – Africa partner-ship on cotton. It comprises 3 components

Afew months after the end of theRegional Investment Programmes

(PRIA) and of the National InvestmentProgrammes (PNIA), ECOWAS conve-ned the stakeholders and partners ofthese programmes to take stock of thesituation and to exchange with the donorson 14th and 18th June 2010. During 5 days, the participants discussedthe finalised national agricultural invest-ment plans; they also discussed theRegional Agricultural Investment Plan forthe implementation of the ECOWASmobilizing programmes; they also revie-wed, for the first groups of countries, thecommitments made for policies andplans’ funding; the second groups ofcountries’ funding plan approach and thestrategy for the presentation of theseplans during the G8-G20 meetings hasbeen decided and the responsibilitieshave been specified.

which include the sustainable improvement ofthe African cotton sectors’ productivity, capacitybuilding in representation and negotiation forstakeholders and the control of sectoral infor-mation management. The final Operational plan was decided andsynergy opportunities were identified and inte-grated during this meeting. All the partnersinvolved in this project, intergovernmental orga-nisations, agricultural research coordination ins-titutions and donors participated in this works-hop. Prof. Sangaré Abdourahamane, the Biotech-nology and Biosafety programme manager,coordinates the implementation of this project

The stakeholders and partners promised to join their forces for the success of the FSP cotton

An overview of the participants exchangingat the Hotel Meridien in Dakar.

Cooperation : France, Germany and Sub-Saharan Africa join against poverty

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On 17th and 18th June, 2010, in Potsdam, in Germany, France and Germany strengthened their cooperation with Sub-SaharanAfrica in order to define the strategic initiatives on struggle against poverty and diseases and support to socio-economic chan-

ges in this part of Africa. The aim of this meeting was to include the examples of good practices and the possibilities of synergies and coherences in scienti-fic and technological cooperation and also to define concrete initiatives in four different sectors and decide on a roadmap before theirimplementation. Dr Harold Roy-Macauley, CORAF/WECARD Programmes Director, represented its organisation at this meeting.

The West and Central African Councilfor Agricultural Research and Development’s Monthly

Bulletin

Director of publicationPr Yusuf ABUBAKAR

Director of EditionPaco Sérémé

Editor-in-ChiefAnatole Yékéminan Koné

Editing and Reading CommitteeDepartment Info/Com

LayoutAlassane DIA

Online publicationGorgui Alioune Mbow

A French version is availableCORAF/WECARD, BP 48 Dakar RP

CP 18523, SénégalTél. : (221) 33 869 96 18Fax : (221) 33 869 96 31

E-mail : paco.sereme@coraf.organatole.kone@coraf.orgInternet : www.coraf.org

From 4th to 11th June, 2010, Ghanahosted a midterm review workshop of

the Promotion of Science & Technology forAgricultural Development in Africa project(PSTAD). At the heart of the preoccupa-tions, there were the review of the activitiesof the RAILS and DONATA componentsand the component on Project manage-ment and coordination.

During this workshop, the participantsmanaged to assess the progresses madein the project, namely with regard to themanagement of its funding. Besides, theInnovation Platform for TechnologyAdoption has also been studied. A field visit in Côte d’Ivoire also enabledthe participants to assess the work doneon the spot.

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PSTAD : Midterm review regional workshop in Accra

LIST OF THE STC MEMBERS RENEAWED INMARCH 2010

The focal points of the RAILS and DONATA components together with AfDB managers for the suc-cessful implementation of the PSTAD.

1st – 3rd July 2010 : Support to WAAPP coordinators in monitoring – evaluation 7th – 9th July 2010 : Validation workshop of research priorities in livestock, fisheries andaquaculture in West and Central Africa 14th – 16th July 2010, Dakar : Workshop for project definition in the framework of theCORAF/WECARD –AusAID partnership.19th – 24th July 2010, Ouagadougou : 5th Agriculture Science Week and FARA GeneralAssembly

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LIST OF THE GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS RENEWED IN MAY 2010