THIRD ECOWAS MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON

UNCLAS ACCRA 000838

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR ECON GH TBIO SENV
SUBJECT: THIRD ECOWAS MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON
BIOTECHNOLOGY: ADOPTION OF THE 2006-2010 ACTION PLAN FOR
MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY.

SUMMARY
--------------


1. THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS)
AND THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA HOSTED THE THIRD ECOWAS
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON BIOTECHNOLOGY: ADOPTION OF THE
2006-2010 ACTION PLAN (ACTION PLAN) FOR MEETING THE
CHALLENGES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY, FROM MARCH 27-30
IN ACCRA, GHANA. THE ACTION PLAN FOCUSES ON TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT, BIOSAFETY AND COMMUNICATIONS, IN ORDER TO
IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY. THE GOAL OF THE
CONFERENCE WAS TO BRING TOGETHER, ALL CONCERNED GOVERNMENT
PARTIES, THE ECOWAS MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE, ENVIRONMENT,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO
REVIEW, DISCUSS, AND ULTIMATELY ENDORSE THE ACTION PLAN.
THE MAIN OUTCOME WAS A MINISTERIAL RECOMMENDATION FOR
ADOPTION OF THE ACTION PLAN, INCLUDING A REGIONAL APPROACH
TO BIOSAFETY. THE ACTION PLAN DID NOT INCLUDE THE
RECOMMENDATION, PROPOSED AT THE TECHNICAL LEVEL, TO
INCORPORATE THE WORLD BANK FUNDED WEST AFRICAN ECONOMIC AND
MONETARY UNION (WAEMU) REGIONAL BIOSAFETY PROJECT.
ALTHOUGH MUCH DEBATE OCCURRED ON THIS TOPIC, CONSENSUS
COULD NOT BY REACHED BY PARTICIPANTS, LEAVING THIS ISSUE TO
BE RESOLVED BETWEEN ECOWAS AND WAEMU IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO
AVOID DUPLICATION AND INEFFICIENCIES.


BACKGROUND
--------------


2. LIKE THE PREVIOUS BAMAKO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE, THIS
CONFERENCE WAS FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON AGRICULTURAL
BIOTECHNOLOGY. FOLLOWING A RECOMMENDATION OF THE MINISTERS
IN BAMAKO, ECOWAS DEVELOPED AN ACTION PLAN FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY IN COUNTRIES OF
THE ECOWAS. THE AIM OF THE ACCRA MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
WAS TO GAIN THE SUPPORT AND PUBLIC APPROVAL OF THE MEMBER
COUNTRY MINISTERS (OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES) IN MOVING THE
ACTION PLAN FORWARD. THE ACTION PLAN FOCUSES ON TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT, BIOSAFETY AND COMMUNICATIONS, IN ORDER TO
IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY. THE PLAN WAS DEVELOPED
BY THE WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (CORAF/WECARD),THE TECHNICAL ARM
OF ECOWAS, WITH USAID TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT. AN
IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE OF THE PLAN IS TO DEVELOP A REGIONAL
APPROACH TO BIOSAFETY TO FACILITATE THE REGIONAL ROLL-OUT
OF BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS. THE PERMANENT INTERSTATE
COMMITTEE FOR DROUGHT CONTROL IN THE SAHEL (CILSS),IN
COLLABORATION WITH CORAF/WECARD AND ECOWAS, HAS COME UP
WITH A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR BIOSAFETY REGULATION THAT WAS
ADOPTED BY THE CILSS COUNCIL OF MINISTERS IN MARCH 2006.
THE CILSS BIOSAFETY INITIATIVE WAS TO BE EXPANDED THIS YEAR
TO ECOWAS MEMBER COUNTRIES THAT ARE NOT CILSS MEMBERS. THE
TOTAL BUDGET TO BRING THE ACTION PLAN TO COMPLETION IS
ESTIMATED AT $26 MILLION.

CONFERENCE EVENT
--------------


2. USAID PROVIDED PARTIAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE
CONFERENCE AND SUPPORT FOR COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES AND
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION SURROUNDING THE CONFERENCE. THE
CONFERENCE WAS WELL ATTENDED. ALL COUNTRIES SENT
REPRESENTATIVES, INCLUDING A DOZEN MINISTERS OR DEPUTY
MINISTERS FROM BENIN, GHANA, GUINEA-BISSAU, LIBERIA, AND
NIGER. OVER 100 PARTICIPANTS FROM GOVERNMENTS, NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, REGIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND DONORS,
AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ECOWAS MEMBER STATES ATTENDED THE
CONFERENCE. U.S. GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION INCLUDED STAFF
FROM STATE AND USAID WASHINGTON, USAID WEST AFRICA MISSION,
AND USDA/FAS/NIGERIA.


3. SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS MET FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE
CONFERENCE (MARCH 27-28) TO DISCUSS THE ACTION PLAN,
IDENTIFY PRIORITIES, AND FORMULATE RECOMMENDATIONS. AFTER
AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACTION PLAN ON MARCH 27 THERE WERE
TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS ON BIOTECHNOLOGY PRIORITY SETTING,
OPTIONS FOR A REGIONAL BIOSAFETY INITIATIVE, THE ONGOING
WORLD BANK-FINANCED WAEMU WEST AFRICA REGIONAL BIOSAFETY
PROGRAM, AND THE IMPACT OF BT COTTON IN WEST AFRICA. ON
MARCH 29, THE EXPERT ADVISORS FINALIZED A SYNTHESIS
DOCUMENT SUMMARIZING THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WAS
FORMALLY REVIEWED DURING THE MINISTERIAL SESSION ON MARCH

30.


4. USAID WEST AFRICA MISSION DIRECTOR DR. CHEEMA, ON
BEHALF OF THE U.S. AMBASSADOR, PROVIDED OPENING REMARKS
DURING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MINISTERIAL SESSION ON
THE LAST DAY OF THE CONFERENCE AND MADE STRONG CLOSING


REMARKS EMPHASIZING THE NEED FOR COUNTRIES TO WORK TOGETHER
TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS. THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION
WAS THE ONLY OTHER DONOR ATTENDING. THE FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) REPRESENTATIVE, DR. KAKOLI
GHOSH, ACKNOWLEDGED IN HER OPENING REMARKS THE USEFULNESS
OF MODERN BIOTECHNOLOGY BUT STRESSED THAT CONVENTIONAL
METHODS TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SHOULD ALSO BE
MORE WIDELY PROMOTED. THE MINISTER OF FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE, ERNEST A. DEBRAH, ON BEHALF OF THE PRESIDENT
OF GHANA, JOHN AGYEKUM KUFUOR, THANKED USAID FOR THEIR
SUPPORT FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY DEVELOPMENT AND
THANKED ECOWAS FOR GIVING GHANA THE OPPORTUNITY TO HOST
THIS YEARS CONFERENCE. HE URGED COUNTRIES IN THE REGION TO
PUT THE NECESSARY MEASURES IN PLACE FOR THE SUSTAINABLE
FUNDING OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN GENERAL AND
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN PARTICULAR. HE FURTHER EMPHASIZED THAT
COUNTRIES NEED TO COLLABORATE IN ESTABLISHING POLICIES TO
ENABLE THE INTRODUCTION AND INTER-REGIONAL TRADE OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS.


5. AT THE CONFERENCE, INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED ON THE $24
MILLION WORLD BANK-FINANCED WAEMU PROJECT SUPPORTED BY THE
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF),FRENCH GOVERNMENT,
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM AND
THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (IDA). THIS
PROGRAM IS MOSTLY GRANT FUNDS EXCEPT FOR A $5 MILLION LOAN
INTENDED FOR BURKINA FASO TO START A BIOTECHNOLOGY
LABORATORY AS ONE OF THE MAIN INVESTMENTS. THE PROJECT
INTENDS TO DEVELOP A REGIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR BIOSAFETY IN
THE COTTON-PRODUCING WAEMU COUNTRIES (BENIN, BURKINA FASO,
MALI, SENEGAL AND TOGO). THE OTHER WAEMU COUNTRIES (GUINEA
BISSAU, COTE DIVOIRE AND NIGER) ARE ALSO INCLUDED BUT THEIR
PARTICIPATION WILL NOT BE FINANCED BY GEF. THIS PROJECT IS
SLATED TO START IN JUNE 2007 AND WILL LAST FOR FOUR YEARS.
OF THE FIVE COUNTRIES INVOLVED IN THE WORLD BANK WAEMU
PROJECT, THREE ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF CILSS (BURKINA FASO,
MALI AND SENEGAL).

OUTCOMES
--------------


5. THE MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE INCLUDED:
TO ADOPT THE ACTION PLAN ON BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY IN
THE ECOWAS REGION WERE; TO CREATE A COHERENT FRAMEWORK
BETWEEN THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL BIOSAFETY REGULATIONS AND
ADAPT THE NATIONAL BIOSAFETY FRAMEWORKS TO THE REGIONAL
ONE; TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNICATION ON BIOSAFETY; AND TO
STRENGTHEN NATIONAL BODIES IN CHARGE OF BIOSAFETY ISSUES.
FURTHERMORE, IT WAS DECIDED THAT UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF
THE ECOWAS COMMISSION, THERE WILL BE A MINISTERIAL
CONFERENCE INVOLVING THE MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE,
ENVIRONMENT, AND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, EVERY TWO YEARS,
AND A TECHNICAL COMMITTEE WILL BE FORMED COMPOSED OF
MEMBERS OF ECOWAS, WAEMU, CILSS, NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR
AFRICAS DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD),CORAF/WECARD, DEVELOPMENT
PARTNERS, PRODUCERS ORGANIZATION AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.


6. NO CONSENSUS WAS REACHED DURING THE MINISTERIAL
SESSION ON A RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS INITIALLY PUT FORTH BY
THE EXPERTS TO INCORPORATE THE WORLD BANK WAEMU BIOSAFETY
REGIONAL PROJECT WITHIN THE ECOWAS ACTION PLAN. THIS ISSUE
WAS DEBATED AT GREAT LENGTH DURING THE CONFERENCE BECAUSE
MANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS HAD NOT BEEN AWARE OF THE WORLD
BANK PROGRAM WHICH HAD BEEN DEVELOPED OUTSIDE OF THE ECOWAS
ACTION PLAN AND DID NOT INVOLVE ALL THE MINISTRIES THAT HAD
BEEN ASSEMBLED AT THIS CONFERENCE. DELEGATES WERE CONCERNED
ABOUT INCORPORATING THE PROJECT, WHOSE DETAILS ARE LARGELY
UNKNOWN TO THE PARTICIPANTS, INTO THE ECOWAS ACTION PLAN.
HOWEVER, THE WAEMU PROJECT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A
SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO REGIONAL EFFORTS AND THE
OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE ECOWAS ACTION PLAN.

CONCLUSION
--------------


7. THE MAIN IMPACT OF THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE HAS BEEN
TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT BIOSAFETY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY ISSUES
IN THE REGION, INCLUDING UPCOMING REGIONAL INITIATIVES, AND
TO BUILD MOMENTUM AND REINVIGORATE POLITICAL WILL IN WEST
AFRICA TO MOVE FORWARD ON BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSAFETY
LEGISLATION. THE NEXT STEP WILL BE FOR ECOWAS TO SUBMIT
THE ACTION PLAN FOR APPROVAL AT THE NEXT ECOWAS CONFERENCE
OF MINISTERS, PRESUMABLY IN JUNE 2007. ADDITIONAL
CONSULTATIONS WILL BE NEEDED TO WORK ON THE DETAILS OF HOW
THE WAEMU REGIONAL BIOSAFETY INITIATIVE FOR FIVE COUNTRIES
WILL COORDINATE, COLLABORATE, AND BUILD SYNERGIES WITH THE
ECOWAS REGIONAL INITIATIVE WHICH INCLUDES ALL WAEMU
COUNTRIES. ECOWAS WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE LEVERAGING
ADDITIONAL GEF FUNDING TO EXPAND THE WAEMU INITIATIVE TO
THE REST OF THE REGION.


BRIDGEWATER