UNCLAS ABUJA 002283

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

FAS/USDA for Roxana Henderson

E.O. 12598: N/A
TAGS: EAGR EAID TBIO NI ATRD ECOWAS
SUBJECT: Phytosanitary Program Assessment Trip

REF: State 205212


1. (U) Reftel requested post to meet with ECOWAS Secretariat
and judge its interest and ability to host a program to
develop phytosanitary capacity. We have not met with the
ECOWAS Secretariat by hope to do so by November 23 and will
report on the results.


2. (SBU) As an interim response, post provides this
assessment from ACCRA-based WARP USAID staff working with
ECOWAS and Abuja staff who work with ECOWAS on other issues.
They expect that ECOWAS would be interested in participating
in such a program. They judged ECOWAS overall institutional
capacity for such a program as being very low. In general,
the progress made on a project depends on the individual
tasked with managing it. Some are good, others are weak, and
the choice of or a change in personnel can make or break a
program. ECOWAS is faced with some immediate challenges,
because two of four senior staff members, plus at least one
other employee were killed in the recent Bellview plane
crash in Nigeria.


3. (SBU) WATH/Accra is working on an SPS harmonization
project with ECOWAS, but is facing problems with
communications and follow-through. The current SPS staff is
mainly Francophone with relatively weak English. Overall,
they believe that ECOWAS capacity would need considerable
reinforcement and support to host a significant program.
FUREY