AU-IAPSC trains member states in national reporting obligations
Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC) has this week gathered than 15 Member States in Lome, Togo to enhance their capacities in the knowledge and application of official phytosanitary information for safe trade, food security and protecting the environment from plant pests and diseases.
The training also aims at familiarizing the Member States, represented by the National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPO’s) with national reporting obligations in response to challenges surrounding data collection and information sharing.
Some of the participants to the national reporting obligations workshop in Lome, Togo.
AU-IAPSC Interim Coordinator Dr Sandrine Bayendi said the 4-day training is providing an opportunity for the Member States to measure the overall phytosanitary situation of plants and plant products in their respective countries whilst monitoring their evolution over time.
“We’ve had a lot of practical sharing of ideas and information which is good for plant health situation in the continent. Being together also boosted the knowledge and skills of participants in database gathering and reporting,”.
This, she said, was crucial in determining the impact of plant pests across the continent as it would enhance continental prediction capabilities.
The participants are also deliberating on how to limit the dissemination of pests by using the required measures for safe trade, market access and protection of food security and the environment.