Placing digital technology at the service of Plant Health and trade: International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Regional workshop for Africa

Kinshasa, 20 August 2024. The annual regional International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) workshop for Africa has begun in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The meeting aims to build phytosanitary capacity, raise awareness of all activities relating to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), exchange experiences at the regional level, and promote regional and international cooperation. Similar workshops are also being organized in other parts of the world, to promote harmonized and effective plant health measures across all continents. The IPPC Secretariat organizes the annual regional workshops in collaboration with Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) regional and sub-regional offices. The workshop in Africa is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Some fifty participants, including plant health specialists from national protection organizations, contracting and non-contracting parties to the IPPC, including Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Malawi, DR Congo, Kenya, Senegal and Sierra Leone, South Africa are attending the four-day workshop. Also present are representatives of the IPPC Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) Bureau, the Standards Committee (SC), the Implementation and Capacity Development Committee (IC), United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), Stellenbosch University, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Médecins du Monde, FAO and the IPPC Secretariat.

This year's theme, “Plant health, safe trade and digital technology’, emphasizes discussions around current and emerging plant health challenges, with a focus on the latest draft IPPC standards and guidelines presented for regional consultation, and efforts to implement capacity development programmes. These discussions will be crucial in strengthening regional efforts to protect plant resources and facilitate safe trade.

“Pests know no borders. This is why regional cooperation is fundamental. International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are essential to prevent the entry and spread of harmful organisms in all regions of the world. They also help countries to justify the use of certain measures in international trade in plants and plant products”, said Osama El-Lissy, IPPC Secretary.

Plant protection is essential for protecting crops, ensuring pest-free trade, safeguarding the livelihoods of agricultural producers in Africa and the growth of the global economy.

The workshop in Kinshasa provides a valuable opportunity to bring together experts on plant health issues, share knowledge and foster closer collaboration among African countries to improve their plant protection systems while addressing emerging pest threats.

“To tackle this continuing expansion of plant diseases, it is, therefore, time to combine our efforts by adopting a set of valid methods and tools that show how prevention, early warning, preparedness, good crisis management and good practices can improve food security and save lives”, said Grégoire Mutshayi, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security.

According to Aristide Ongone Obame, FAO Representative in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “We need to comply with international phytosanitary standards if we are to avoid costly eradication and control operations in the event of emergency pest epidemics in our regions and countries”. The IPPC regional workshop for Africa will include technical sessions and site visits to enable participants to engage directly with plant health experts and explore practical solutions.

Participants will discuss plant health issues of concern in Africa, such as the Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) and banana Fusarium TR4. They will discuss progress and share experiences on the implementation of the IPPC's Phytosanitary Programme for Africa (APP), and the IPPC's ePhyto Solution. APP provides training and digital tools and resources for geospatial information systems (GIS) to strengthen phytosanitary systems in Africa by empowering national plant protection organizations (NPPOs). The APP pilot phase involves the following 11 countries- Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Originally published by the FAO Representation in the Democratic Republic of Congo