The collaboration agreement between AfricaSeeds and the government of Côte d’Ivoire was signed on July 7 during a high-level ceremony organized in Abidjan by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Côte d’Ivoire.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Kouassi Adjoumani, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, representing the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, and Dr Kouame Miezan, Executive Director, representing AfricaSeeds, the implementing agency for the African Union seed program.
The agreement will start an important process aimed at providing substantial support for the sustainable development of the Ivorian seed sector.
Through an integrated strategy targeting the entire seed value chain, AfricaSeeds will support Côte d’Ivoire in the following specific areas:
- promoting the seed sector in Côte d’Ivoire with decision-making bodies, as well as women and the youth;
- capacity building of human resources and small businesses in the seed sector;
- increasing production of foundation seeds;
- technical assistance on planning, diagnosis, development of initiatives and regulation of the seed sector, including quality management;
- establishment of a seed information system;
- resource mobilization for strengthening the seed sector.
AfricaSeeds started to sign memoranda of understanding in 2015, and to date, agreements have been signed between AfricaSeeds and a dozen member states. More agreements are expected to be signed in the coming years. These agreements aim to establish the framework for collaboration between AfricaSeeds and the member states, through their respective national seed programs.
AfricaSeeds interventions prioritize capacity development, coordination and knowledge sharing.
The signing of the agreement between Côte d’Ivoire and AfricaSeeds marks the commitment by the two parties to work together to combat seed insecurity in Côte d’Ivoire.
