VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAR #0838/01 1071829
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171829Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4220
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

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