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Lomé, August 17, 2021 - The Food for West Africa network (FOOD4WA) bringing together the African Impact Centers of Excellence working in the field of agriculture has just launched its activities at the end of a workshop serving as an assembly constitutive general meeting on December 16 and 17, at CERSA headquaters in Lomé, Togo.

The new created network aims the setting up of a common platform where these agricultural impact ACEs will work together to strengthen food security in West and Central Africa.

Participants during the workshop

The network is composed of seven centers of excellence that make up the are :

• Regional Center of Excellence in Avian Sciences (CERSA) of Togo,
• Regional Center of Excellence on Pastoral Productions (CERPP) of Niger
• Nigeria Center For Food Technology and Research (CEFTER)
• Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Agriculture (CCBAD) of the Ivory Coast
• African Center of Excellence in Dry Land Agriculture (CDA) of Nigeria
• African Center of Excellence in Agriculture for Food and Nutrition Security (AGRISAN) of Senegal
• West Africa Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) from Ghana.

For these centers, it is about achieving the objectives of training, research and partnership around food security in Africa. It is also a way for this network to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the various agricultural CEA-Impacts even after funding ends in 2023.

The FOOD4WA network aims to meet the challenge of food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. To do this, the network has taken it upon itself to: (i) set up a network between the professors and students of the various member CEA-Impact, (ii) create a coordination of research on priority themes related to the food security (iii) popularize the results of research and innovation through conferences and symposia involving students and teachers as well as the peasant world and key players in the orientation of development policies such as national institutions and regional such as UEMOA, ECOWAS, (iv) create a digital platform and communication activities, (v) write joint projects.

During the work, the participants adopted the various texts to govern the network. Likewise, the governance structure has been put in place and a roadmap has been drawn up in accordance with the project implementation plan.

Prof. Kossi Metowogo, Administrative Secretary of Food4WA Network & Prof. Kokou Tona, President of the Food4WA Network

The governance structure is chaired by Prof. Kokou TONA who is the director of CERSA and as administrative secretary Prof. Kossi METOWOGO, moreover, CERSA partnership manager.

By Fernand A. TONA
CERSA’s Communication officer