Technical staff of Jubba Agro (Somalia), undertook remote learning from a senior Ghanaian COLEACP expert, Mark Tutu Sarpong. The training focused on food security and good agricultural practices while also cascading training on good pedagogical dissemination practices using COLEACP field technical workshop methodology. The trainees were asked to produce engaging pedagogical content and deliver practical sessions to their peers.
The field workshop methodology developed by COLEACP has been designed around specific subjects in order to help the target audience understand,… +
A national workshop consultation for stakeholders in the Guinean potato sector was held in Mamou on 13 July, as part of the development of the Good Practice Guide (GPG) for the value chain of this commodity.
This workshop brought together more than 20 participants from the main farmers’ organisations in the sector (Fédération des Paysans du Fouta Djallon, FPFD; Union des Groupements Agricoles de Labé, UGAL; Union des Groupements Agricoles de Soumbalako, UGAS), the private sector, partner projects (the Belgian… +
The ABC Fund (Agri-Business Capital) recently provided loans to three African agri-businesses to support their working capital needs and expansion, enabling higher rural employment and securing market access for farmers in their respective sectors (African Farming, 3 June).
Image source : ETS Yaffa et Frères
One of the successful companies is COLEACP member Etablissement Yaffa & Frères, one of the largest local fresh mango exporters in Mali.
Yaffa has been a member of COLEACP since 2007, and over the past… +
On 9 July, a launch workshop was organised in the framework of the drafting of a sectoral guide of good practices for the leafy vegetable value chain in Togo.
This meeting, which brought together about 50 participants from different organisations (APROTELF, DPV, DFV, ICAT, ITRA, FENOMAT, companies), aimed on the one hand to raise awareness among stakeholders on the objectives and interest of a guide for the leafy vegetable sector in Togo; and on the other hand, to present the… +
EU-UK relations: Solutions found to help implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland
The European Commission has put forward a balanced package of measures to address some of the most pressing issues related to the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. First, the EC takes note of the UK’s request, via separate unilateral statements, to extend a grace period for the movement of chilled meats from Great Britain to Northern Ireland until 30 September 2021.… +
On 8 July 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa reported that during the seven days to 4 July the continent saw its worst pandemic week ever (WHO Africa, 8 July 2021). Source: Africa CDC Outbreak Brief #78, 13 July 2021
Sixteen African countries are now in resurgence, with Malawi and Senegal added to the list most recently. The Delta variant has been detected in 10 of these countries. According to Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director… +
On 14 and 15 July, COLEACP organised group training on the “Safe Use of Pesticides” for plant protection product applicators in the Loum basin. This training is part of the Standards and Trade Development Fund (STDF) project “Improvement of the sanitary and phytosanitary quality of Penja pepper in Cameroon to facilitate access to international markets” (STDF/PG/593).
Following this training, the participants are now able to carry out treatments according to good phytosanitary practices and to carry out the instructions: during… +
On 12 July, a working meeting between the Côte d’Ivoire Delegation and COLEACP gave the association the opportunity to present its activities and priorities related to the agriculture and agri-food sector in Côte d’Ivoire, a key partner country for COLEACP, and to discuss its support to the planned EU-West Africa (EU-WA) business forum. COLEACP was represented by Jeremy Knops, General Delegate; Nursel Gumusboga, Regional Programme Manager; and Isolina Boto, Head of Networks and Alliances.
Composed of representatives of Côte d’Ivoire… +
Global
Increasing airfreight demand
A report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that air cargo demand is increasing by 12% a year. North American Airlines, and airlines in all other regions (Middle East, Africa) except for Latin America, contributed to this growth. The capacity is almost 10% below pre-Covid-19 levels due to the ongoing grounding of passenger aircraft. But freighters are continuing to be used in order to compensate the lack of available belly capacity. The supply chain… +
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on international trade particularly on the fruit and vegetable sector in the ACP States. In order to support companies in coping with the crisis, COLEACP in collaboration with the African Management Institute are proposing “”Business Survival Bootcamps””.
The aim of the bootcamp is to provide companies with practical tools to plan and cope with the challenges resulting from the consequences of the pandemic. The bootcamp will include: A 90-minute interactive webinar led… +
In June, a third virtual training course on implementing official controls was provided for inspectors in the Caribbean.
Inspectors from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica took part in the training, which involved eight interactive Zoom sessions, including participatory group assignments and presentations. A special session was also provided in Dutch for Suriname, with a blended programme of face-to-face and digital training.
The 24 participants’ different experience and knowledge provided opportunities for sharing and learning, including via a WhatsApp… +
Global
Covid outbreak at Chinese port exacerbates global supply chain delays
Weeks of disruption at one of the world’s largest container terminals in southern China have put a huge strain on the already-stretched global shipping industry, worsening supply chain delays around the world. Yantian terminal in Shenzhen closed for almost a week in late May after port workers tested positive for Covid-19. Weeks later, productivity has only recovered to about 70% of normal levels. The situation exposes the vulnerability of… +
COLEACP organised, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock of Burundi (MINEAGRIE) and the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi (CFCIB), a virtual information workshop on the new EU SPS regulation on 25 June.
The objective of the workshop was to inform and sensitise public and private stakeholders in the Burundian horticultural sector on the SPS regulatory requirements for exports of horticultural products to the EU, and to set up a public-private working group that… +
Image source: IPPC ePhyto Solutions (ephytoexchange.org)
On 28 June COLEACP held an e-meeting on the use of the IPPC’s ePhyto (electronic phytosanitary certificate) in ACP countries. The aim was to give an overview of this tool to secure and facilitate exchanges of certificates between National Plant Protection Organisations (NPPOs).
The IPPC ePhyto Solution consists of three main elements: A central server (Hub): to facilitate the transfer of electronic phytosanitary certificates between NPPOs, either from and to their own national electronic… +
In Thiès, in the Niayes area of Senegal, COLEACP and the Agence Nationale de Conseil Agricole et Rural (ANCAR) are organising a training course on crop protection and the safe use of pesticides for ANCAR supervisors.
This training is based on the “Animations Pédagogiques” method developed by COLEACP. This method has been designed around specific subjects in order to help the target audience understand, in a clear and pictorial way, the good practices to be respected throughout the production process… +
During the Science Days for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, Agrinatura, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and COLEACP are co-organising a side-event on “The role of agricultural research and innovation on food systems transformation”, on 6 July 2021, 15:00 – 17:00 CEST via Zoom.
During the side-event, DeSIRA LIFT partners will present successful cases of transdisciplinary research resulting from examples of Africa-European Union cooperation, and discuss good practices and principles, as well as recommendations for a… +
Côte d’Ivoire is one of the pilot countries chosen to test the new Rapid SPS Assessment Tool (R-SAT) developed by COLEACP. The main objective is to develop a priority action plan to strengthen national sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) systems, and to ensure the alignment of these systems with international standards and regulations. During the launch meeting of this pilot in Abidjan, the competent authorities chose to apply the tool to the Capsicum sector, both for the local market and for… +
COLEACP is one of the supporting partners of the 6th edition of the Salon RSE et des IDD, Madagascar’s exhibition for corporate social responsibility and sustainable development initiatives, which will be held on 15 and 16 July 2021. The theme of this year’s event is “Partnerships for sustainable development”. During the two days, discussions will focus on climate change and strategic community investments.
Co-organised by Ur-CSR and BuyYourWay, under the sponsorship of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development… +
A meeting of the Steering Committee of the “Project to strengthen the national phytosanitary control and certification system for fruits and vegetables in Togo” took place on 25 June in Lomé. The meeting brought together 14 participants, including the seven members of the COPIL, the National Coordinator of the project, and the COLEACP relay in Togo.
The meeting reviewed the level of achievement of activities since the project’s launch in November 2018; discussed the problems currently experienced by the fruit… +
CELEBRATE WITH COLEACP MSMEs CONTRIBUTING TO NUTRITION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FROM FARM TO FORK Globally, Micro, Small and Medium Size Enterprises (MSMEs) which work themselves with millions of family farms, are of notable importance in securing food safety and nutrition of local consumers and communities, creating employment, enhancing skills, as well as promoting innovation and creativity towards sustainable food systems.
MSMEs respectively have less than 10, 50 and 250 employees but nonetheless provide great opportunities for job creation, especially for… +
COLEACP organised an online workshop on 15 June to present the changes and potential impacts of the new European Union (EU) Organic Regulation 2018/848, which will enter into force in January 2022.
The workshop brought together 80 participants, COLEACP partners involved in the production and export of organic fruit and vegetables. They were given a presentation by Michel Reynaud, Board Member of IFOAM Organics Europe and Vice President of Ecocert, who reviewed the main changes of the new regulation that… +
COLEACP has developed a Rapid SPS Assessment Tool (R-SAT) specifically tailored to the context, activities and responsibilities of national Competent Authorities. This tool is designed to assist Competent Authorities to assess the current status and functioning of their sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) systems, in consultation with key stakeholders from both public and private sectors. The main objective is to develop a prioritised action plan to strengthen national SPS systems, and to ensure their alignment with international standards and regulations.
This… +
The 7th Africa Fairtrade Convention (AFC) will be held virtually in Nairobi from 22–25 June 2021, focusing on “Producers leading the future of trade”. The event is organised by Fairtrade Africa. AFC is a gathering of producers, traders, partner organisations, Fairtrade movements, governments and policy makers – among other stakeholders – to discuss improvement of value chains, trade relations, and conditions that translate to improved livelihoods for farmers and workers in Africa.
While the General Assembly is a closed meeting,… +
The fourth African Union (AU) – European Union (EU) agriculture ministerial conference will take place on 22 June 2021, co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the European Union.
The event will include four high-level thematic sessions, to be held in parallel, from 10:00 to 11:30 (CET). Jeremy Knops, COLEACP’s General Delegate, is taking part in one of these sessions, on “Use of digital solutions in agriculture to combat diseases and to strengthen rural communities”. His contribution focuses on “Adjusting… +