PREAMBLE

In 1951, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), whose principal goal is to eradicate hunger in the World, strongly recommended the setting up of institutions with regional jurisdiction in the area of plant protection, with a view to harmoniously accomplishing its field activities.

That is why cognizant of the effective implementation of the above recommendation, the Inter-African Phytosanitary Commission (IAPSC), which later became the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, was set up in 1954 by its founding members among which are South Africa, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France and England. The Commonwealth Institute of Entomology (CIE), the prestigious London-based scientific organization, provided temporary accommodation for its offices.

The idea of taking over the IAPSC by the then OAU fostered the relocation of its office in Yaounde in 1967. The General Secretariat of the OAU and its member countries continued managing the IAPSC. The transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) triggered a series of reforms, beginning with the upgrading of the IAPSC office - formerly headed by a Scientific Secretary - into the IAPSC Directorate, its first Director being Dr KOUMBA-KOUMBA Daniel, of Gabonese nationality, who has been at the helm since 9 May 2005.

The duties and missions incumbent on the IAPSC henceforth became multiple and diversified. It should be recalled that the main duties and missions revolve around the following points :

• Assist African countries in protecting themselves from pests invasion and plant diseases by putting in place phytosanitary measures ; • Coordinate phytosanitary activities at borders, air and sea ports ; • Design warning mechanisms in the event of pests invasion and plant diseases ; • Harmonize phytosanitary regulations of African countries ; • Facilitate the activities of regional agricultural research networks in general, and plant protection in particular ; • Support a common African platform at international forums in the area of crop and stock protection.

Carrying out these duties and mission at best is both a daunting and a complex task, which IAPSC management would not imprudently want to accomplish single-handedly without the indispensable support of African Union member countries. Preoccupied with the stakes and challenges to tackle in the area of plant protection in order to guarantee food self-sufficiency in Africa, IAPSC officials think ,and rightly so, that the focal points, thanks to their nearness to States, will play a preponderant role in successfully carrying out the missions entrusted to them by hierarchy. I - CONTEXT

At the initiative of the IAPSC, the scientific consultation mission on the inventory of pesticidal plants in Central Africa enabled the officials of this pan-African structure to incorporate the implementation of another important recommendation of the General Assembly.

It is in this light that we were given the mandate to supervise the creation of focal points within plant protection services in the Ministries of Agriculture of the six countries visited (cf. appended memorandum).

II - MISSIONS OF FOCAL POINTS

• Foster, through frequent communication, the involvement of the IAPSC in all national and regional initiatives undertaken on the continent in plant protection as well as in the implementation of specific or collective phytosanitary measures in each member country ;

• Enable the follow-up and harmonization of activities of plant protection services in general, and more particularly those of the IAPSC, on the continent ;

• Deepen their involvement in programming and organizing seminars, workshops, technical meetings as well as press conferences with media coverage, as a way of raising awareness on the necessity for each country to produce scientific articles and various reports concerning plant protection in view of regular publications in the Phytosanitary News Bulletin of the IAPSC,

• Facilitate scientific collaboration contacts between laboratories of the Science Faculties of Universities, research institutes and departments of agriculture or plant protection of the Ministry of Agriculture of each country. Each of the three components mentioned above shall be useful in carrying out the project for the enhancement of pesticidal plants being studied by the IAPSC.

III - CREATION GUIDELINES

• Before setting up a focal point, present a succinct report on the need and relevance of the focal point through a meeting within the plant protection service of each country in the Central African sub-region.

• Together with plant protection Directors and Service Heads, proceed with the appointment or election, if necessary, of an executive, holder of a certificate in agricultural engineering or agricultural techniques. The said executive will assume the role of focal point facilitator in his country.

• In order to foster the proper carrying out of missions assigned to focal points, the executives who will be entrusted with the task of organizing focal point activities shall, depending on the availability of human resources, be exempted from any other task in the plant protection service, in a way as to enable them devote themselves fully, in order to produce monthly activity reports destined for the IAPSC in Yaounde in time.

• Convene at creation meetings, officials of chemistry laboratories of Science Faculties of State Universities and those of institutes or research centres dealing with plant protection.

• Obtain immediately from each facilitator retained, the following identification documents :

  Four 4 x 4 passport-size pictures to enable the facilitator to establish an IAPSC focal point facilitator card in his country. As a correspondent of the IAPSC, the facilitator will benefit from all facilities linked to the possession of this card signed by the Director of IAPSC.
  An updated and detailed curriculum vitae, to enable IAPSC management to envisage the participation of the facilitator in seminars or workshops, including long- or short-term training in plant protection. Depending on the availability of places, IAPSC management could, if possible, make proposals for posts within the structure in the spirit of a better representation of the human resources of qualified nationals of African Union member counties.

• The other focal point support members are broken down as follows :
  An organic chemistry laboratory or natural substances analysis official of the Faculty of Science of the University.
  A researcher from a research institute or centre.
  The Director of plant protection or agriculture.
  The plant protection Service Head.
  An official from an institution or NGO interested in plant protection. • An administrative file of each focal point shall be opened at the IAPSC head office for all correspondences and other relevant contacts. • Facilitators and focal point support members shall, if the need arises, be involved in IAPSC activities (invitation to General Assemblies, seminars and other meetings).

• Focal points thus created shall, as a function of specific or collective needs, be equipped with human resources and material means according to the availability of funds.

• The focal point facilitator and support members shall be installed officially by the local authorities concerned in the presence of the IAPSC delegation led by its director. IV - PRESENTATION OF FOCAL POINT FACILITATORS AND ORGANIZATION CHARTS OF MINISTRIES OF AGRICULTURE PER COUNTRY

Pursuant to guidelines indicated by IAPSC head office, each focal point facilitator has submitted pictures and a copy of his/her curriculum vitae to us. The organization chart of each ministry equally caught our attention. These documents are contained in the pages that follow... Read the rest by clicking PDF icone below...

Creation of IAPSC Focal Points in Central Africa Sub-region Report Mission (PDF, 1.5 Mo)

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