West and Central African Research leaders to Discuss Bio risks Management

Published On - 19 October 2020

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  • CORAF will on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, organize an online event to discuss how best to manage bio risks in West and Central Africa;
  • Close to 23 Director Generals of National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) or their representatives are expected to participate;
  • The webinar is part of an ongoing series of online engagement activities with NARS leaders from West and Central Africa. 

A one-day webinar on how to better manage plant pests and diseases in West and Central Africa takes place on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. The virtual event brings together Director Generals of all 23 NARS. It will be hosted by CORAF, the body responsible for coordinating food system research in West and Central Africa.

Climate-related shocks such as prolonged droughts and floods are more frequent now, coming along new pests and diseases, including the Fall Army Worm (FAW), with devastating impacts on crop production, mainly maize.

“There are growing efforts to understand how the changing climate exacerbates bio-risks. This would facilitate better management and the coordination and harmonization of activities to avoid duplication,” says Prof. Abdulai Jalloh, Director of Research and Innovation, at CORAF.

“The NARS are essential stakeholders in research and development as well as in the management of bio-risks.”

This webinar falls within a series of online engagement activities organized by CORAF to strengthen further synergies with NARS leaders in West and Central Africa. The online engagements are expected to culminate in the organization of a NARS Leaders Forum in 2021.

The first iteration was held on August 12, 2020, and focused on how COVID-19 disrupting research activities and mitigating measures.

The expected results of this webinar are:

  1. NARS Director Generals are informed and made aware of the efforts of the CORAF Executive Secretariat in the management of biological risks
  2. A common vision on how to address biological risk issues is developed
  3. Ways and means to involve other actors are defined.

CORAF is currently involved in a series of regional and international initiatives designed to manage bio risks better. This includes working within a global taskforce, collaborating with the FAO within the PAIRED project framework, and implementing a new European Union-funded project. The BIORISKS project, officially launched on 6 and 7 October 2020.

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