STDF Togo: Meeting of the steering committee (June 2022)

A meeting of the Steering Committee of the “Project to strengthen the phytosanitary control and certification system for the fruit and vegetable sector in Togo (STDF/PG/375)” was held from 29 to 30 June 2022 in Lomé, Togo.

The STDF project consists of strengthening the framework and capacities of the services involved in inspection and control, as well as private operators active in the production and export of fruit and vegetables. It should allow better access to markets for fruit and vegetables from Togo, by ensuring absence of quarantine pests. Officially launched in November 2018, the project will close on 31 October 2022.

The objective of the meeting was to examine the level of achievement of the activities planned for the first 6 months of the year, to review the indicators of the project’s logical framework in preparation for the external evaluation scheduled for August, and to validate the last actions to be organised between July and September. The current difficulties encountered by the fruit and vegetable sector in Togo were also discussed, avenues for improvement were identified, and recommendations were formulated.

One of the main activities validated by steering committee is the application of the rapid assessment tool of the SPS system developed by COLEACP (COLEACP R-SAT) to the leafy vegetable, mango, Capsicum and aubergine sectors in Togo. This will allow monitoring of the support activities organised in Togo through the STDF/PG/375 project, the evaluation of their impacts, and the establishment of a roadmap for the remaining efforts to be made after the closure of the project.

This activity was organised within the framework of the “Project to strengthen the national phytosanitary control and certification system for fruit and vegetables in Togo”, funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and implemented by COLEACP.