By Dr Nazaire NKOUKA Scientific Secretary

The 5th Congress of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA) was held in Yaounde, Cameroon, from 15 to 18 March 2005.

The African Union Commission (Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture) asked the IAPSC Scientific Secretary Dr Nazaire NKOUKA, to represent it at this Congress which was attended by :

  Cameroon's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development ;
  Mr Raouf Ghariani, Chairman of AFSTA, Tunis ;
  Mr Justin Rakotoarisaona, Secretary-General of AFSTA, Nairobi ;
  Mr A. N'DIAYE, General Manager of the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), Cameroon ;
  Mr Rolf JÖRDENS, Secretary-General of the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV), Switzerland.

Apart from these senior officials, representatives from 35 African countries including those from international institutions and non-governmental organizations also attended the Congress.

I- MAIN THEMES DISCUSSED

1- Protection of new plant varieties in Africa ; 2- Protection of new plant varieties in the European Community ; 3- Use of biotechnology in obtaining improved seeds ; 4- Seed trade ; 5- Accreditation ; 6- Bio-safety regulations.

II - DISCUSSIONS ON THE OAU AFRICAN MODEL LAW ON SAFETY IN BIOTECHNOLOGY AND ON ESTABLISHING A COMMON BIO-SAFETY SYSTEM FOR AFRICA

It will be recalled that this African Model Law had been examined by Member States in Addis Ababa from 2 to 4 May 2001 and was accompanied by two key Recommendations, namely :

1- that the OAU designate and establish internally a focal point on bio-safety in Africa ; 2- that during examination of the Algiers Convention on the Protection of Natural Resources, the OAU incorporate a clause stipulating that any natural person or corporate body, engaged in the exportation, transit, importation or distribution of any genetically-modified organism or likely to be used for hostile purposes, should be banned collectively by all the members of the OAU.

DEBATES The African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), the International Union for the Protection of New Plant Varieties (UPOV) and the Community Plant Varieties Authority (OCVV) all believe that enforcing the African Model Law would not be easy, but also recognize that it constitutes the baseline for establishing more realistic regulations to govern this domain in Africa.

RECOMMENDATION Participants and the relevant Partners - OAPI, UPOV, OCVV - recommend that the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture set up a Scientific Committee to further examine this African Model Law to bring it in line with agricultural developments in the world.

I supported this Recommendation as it would enable Africa to position itself in the current debate especially on the use of new varieties of genetically modified plants or animals.

III -AFRICAN UNION /AFSTA COOPERATION

The presence of the African Union at the AFSTA Congress was highly applauded, for, as AFSTA officials stated, the defunct OAU had never responded to their many invitations. Indeed, they requested the IAPSC Scientific Secretary to convey their gratitude to the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture.

RECOMMENDATION

The Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture should empower a senior officer to regularly monitor cooperation with AFSTA inasmuch as seeds and plants are a real power and Africa should be involved when major decisions need to be taken.

IV- DATE AND VENUE OF THE NEXT AFSTA CONGRESS

The 6th AFSTA Congress will be held in Kampala, Uganda, from 28 through 31 March 2006.