This document summarizes agricultural biotechnology efforts in West Africa. It discusses enabling policies like ECOWAS and UEMOA programs, as well as capacity building projects from USAID, WAAPP, and others. Key capacities mentioned include CORAF/WECARD base centers and national institutions. Applications that have been promoted include biofortified sorghum, cowpea resistant to pod borers, virus-resistant rice, and cassava produced through tissue culture. Over 300 researchers were trained in topics like molecular breeding and biosafety. A regional biosafety framework was developed along with national implementation support. Priorities for the future include new projects, finalizing regional biosafety, and strengthening biosciences networking and

1. FAO Regional meeting on Agricultural
Biotechnology for Sustainable Food System
and Nutrition in SSA
Enabling environment, capacities and
Agricultural Biotech application in
West Africa
Addis Ababa, 24-26 November 2017
Pr Sangaré Abdourahamane
DDG/ CNRA, Côte d’Ivoire

2. Enabling Environment for
Agricultural Biotechnology in
WCA

3. POLICY ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
1. The ECOWAS Action Plan for the
development of Biotechnology and
Biosafety
2. The UEMOA Biosafety Program
3. The CILSS Biosafety Program
4. The CORAF/WECARD Biotechnology
and Biosafety Program

4. TT and CB Projects
1. The ECOWAS Biotechnology and Biosafety
Capacity building projects
2. The USAID GFSR and FTF Technology Transfer
and Capacity building projects
3. The WAAPP Technology transfer and CB projects
4. The CORAF/WECARD Competitive and
Commissioned projects
5. The FARA Biotechnology Stewardship (SABIMA)
Project
6. The ABNE Biosafety capacity building Initiative
(UA/NEPAD)
7. West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) project
8. CG centers Biotechnology activities
9. National research institutions’ activities; etc.

5. Capacity and organization for
Biotechnology Application in
WCA

6. Capacities
1. CORAF/WECARD Base Centers
2. The WAAPP National Centers of
Specialization
3. The CG Centers
4. The National Institutions
(including Universities)

7. Yam minisett
technology
Post-harvest
technologies
Cassava Tissue
Culture
Rice Yellow Mottle
Virus Resistant
varieties
Striga Resistant
Sorghum varieties
Bt-Cowpea
Mapping of the « Global Food Security Response »
projects

8. Meat Value Chain
Productivity
Maize Value Chain
Productivity
Milk Value Chain
Productivity
Rice Value Chain
Productivity
Sorghum Value Chain
Productivity
Biosafety
Mapping of the « Feed the Future »
projects

9. 7
2
1
9
4
5
6
8
1
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2
9
4
5
6
8
Céréales sèches
Riz
Fruits et légumes
Elevage
Riz de mangrove
Banane plantain
Racines et tubercules
Maïs
Aquaculture
3
WALICWALIC CIRDESCIRDES
FARCH
A
FARCH
A
PRASACPRASAC
CARBAPCARBAP
Putative Partnership for efficient delivery

10. Agricultural Biotechnology
Application in WCA

11. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology promoted
Bio-fortified Sorghum
• Communication materials
developed;
• Awareness of 311 people
enhanced on Biotechnology and
biosafety issues
2 Pod borer (Maruca sp)
resistant lines of Cowpea
ready for dissemination
Bt-Cowpea
Knowledge in the West African
context, on the bio-ecology of the
insect pest and on the gene flux
dynamics of cowpea
A functional greenhouse
for conducting Confined
Field Trials built and the
Maruca rearing
laboratory strengthened
in Burkina Faso
Capacities of researchers from Mali and Togo
upgraded in Maruca rearing methods and CFTs

12. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology promoted
Bt-Cotton Key factors for Bt-cotton risk
management in West Africa identified
and protocols and technical
referentials established (Gene flux,
efficiency in the local context, impact of
entomo-fauna, frequency of resistance
genes, socio-economic impacts)
Strategic options for the management
of Bt-cotton proposed
Capacity of more than 50 producers in
the Bt-cotton production system
strengthened
A strategy is put in place for managing innovations in terms of preventing
the development of insect resistance to the control measures

13. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology promoted
Rice varieties resistant to the
Yellow Mottle Virus through
Marker Assisted Breeding
4 Yellow Mottle Virus Resistant
Rice Lines developed
Improved varieties made
available for transfer through the
development of appropriate
policy environment for seed
release
Capacity of actors developed for project
implementation:
•5 Laboratories equipped for greenhouse
evaluation of virus resistant rice lines
•capacity of 25 rice scientist from 7 countries
upgraded in Molecular Markers Assisted
Breeding
•The ability of 100 rice farmers to produce
high quality seed enhanced
High quality Scientific Knowledge generated and shared

14. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology promoted
Cassava cuttings production
through in vitro tissue culture
Locally preferred cassava varieties in
vitro Gene Bank put in place in the
National Centre of Excellence for Roots
and Tubers (CRI-Ghana)
6 laboratories and 6 green houses
were upgraded to conduct in vitro
tissue culture of cassava (Benin, Côte
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Togo)
50 technician’s skills were improved
in conducting in vitro sanitization
and multiplication of Cassava
cuttings
As a result of technology transfer, more than 50 ha of Cassava cutting
production fields put in place (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo) and more
than 100 clean cutting producers active

15. APPLICATIONS
Biotechnology promoted
Coordinated by the CGIAR Generation
Challenge Programme, the
Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP) is a
web-based one-stop shop for
information, analytical tools and
related services to design and carry
out integrated breeding projects.
It is a vehicle for dissemination of
knowledge and technology, enabling
broad access to and proactive
distribution of crop genetic stocks and
breeding material; molecular,
genomics and informatics technology
and information; cost-effective high-
throughput laboratory services; and
capacity building programs
The Integrated
Breeding Platform
CORAF/WECARD is
deploying the Platform
in the National Center
of Specialization on
Dry Cereals for the
benefit of the region’s
breeding programs

16. CAPACITY STRENGTHENING
More than 300 Researchers and
Technicians capacities
strengthened through Regional
Hands-on trainings on Tissue
culture, Molecular Breeding,
Confined Field Trials, etc.
Human Capacity Developed
An International Master of
Biotechnology (10 countries)
developed and more than 50
MSc trained
13 Countries directly
supported through Specific
trainings

17. POLICY TOOLS
Decision making tools developed through
strategic studies
Biotechnology Centres of
Excellences and functional
clusters identified
Relevance of GM technology
reaffirmed and best conditions
for safe use identified and
documented
The Status of the
implementation of the
Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety established in 7
individual countries and at the
regional level

18. REGULATIONS
Regional approach to Biosafety promoted
The tripartite (ECOWAS, CILSS,
UEMOA) Regional Biosafety
Regulation developed
An harmonized Regional Biosafety
Manual of Procedures developed
6 countries supported in the
implementation of Regional
Biosafety Procedures
(24 proposition of decrees analyzed; 22
validated and proposed for
legislation/decree; 13 approved and 11
implemented)
A West African Seed Program developed
and implemented (will take care of GM
seeds)
Biosafety Stewardship developed
in Burkina Faso, Ghana and
Nigeria (>100 trained and >200
sensitized)

19. The Way forward?
Key priorities for 2016-2025
•Developing new strategic and transversal
R&D projects; special attention will be given
to up and out scaling of proven technologies
and capacity strengthening;
•Finalizing the regional biosafety framework
in the ECOWAS region and launching the
process in the ECCAS region
•Facilitating capacity strengthening in
Biosciences through a better networking
and integration approaches.

20. The Way forward?
New research frontiers include:
•Vaccines and diagnostic tools for Integrated Animal
and Plant Pests and Diseases Management;
•Restoring Soil fertility in degraded areas [Integrated
Soil fertility management; Nitrogen and Phosphorus
fixation, microbial detoxification…];
•Food Quality and Safety for improving market value
of agricultural products [Post-harvest transformation
and control of mycotoxins];
•Improving nutritional value of staple crops [Bio-
fortification];
•Food security through improved productivity in the
context of changing environment (Water and nutrient
uptake efficiency)

21. MERCI