Cotonou, Benin
April 1, 2008
Deeply concerned by
issues such as climate change and soaring rice prices,
particularly in relation to their impacts on Africa, the Board
of Trustees of the
Africa Rice Center
(WARDA) at its recent meeting approved the new research
directions proposed by the Center to urgently address these
challenges.
“This meeting was
particularly special because we focused most of our attention on
WARDA’s new Strategic Plan that is being developed at a crucial
moment to respond to the fast-changing environment of the rice
sector in Africa,” the Board Chair said.
The Strategic Plan will
reflect the Center’s new vision and its development will be
based on close consultations with the National Experts Committee
(NEC) comprising the Directors General of national programs of
WARDA’s 21 member states as well as with various other partners.
As part of the new
strategy, a streamlined research structure consisting of four
inter-related programs was proposed by the Center and approved
by the Board. These programs will be complemented by the
System-wide Initiative of the
Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) on Inland
Valley Consortium, which is convened by WARDA.
The Board announced that
it was setting up an external Scientific Advisory Committee
consisting of three top-caliber experts to help its Program
Committee provide in-depth guidance on the technical quality of
research undertaken by WARDA. This innovative mechanism was
introduced in response to the recommendations of WARDA’s Fifth
External Program and Management Review.
The Board commended the
Center for the tangible progress made, particularly in the
following areas:
-
Significant increase in member
country contribution:
Thanks to sustained advocacy, the member country
contribution to WARDA in 2007 reached an unprecedented
level.
-
Historic expansion in membership:
Four countries from central and eastern Africa – Democratic
Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Central African
Republic and Uganda – joined WARDA in 2007, bringing the
number of member countries from 17 to 21. In addition,
Egypt’s application is under consideration by the Council of
Ministers of WARDA.
-
Alignment with CGIAR Centers for
increased efficiency:
The
International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), the
Centro Internacional de
Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) and WARDA signed a
memorandum of understanding in 2007 to align their rice
research programs in Africa. The
International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and WARDA have
aligned their Corporate Services in Cotonou, Benin.
-
Improved financial health:
The number of days of reserve increased from 109 in 2007 to
141 in 2008, while the 2008 budget increased by 15% compared
to 2007.
The Board was
particularly happy with the gradual improvement in the overall
resource mobilization efforts. It approved the 2008 working
budget and a prudent investment policy for WARDA.
New Board Chair, Vice
Chair
The Board announced the
appointment of Mr Getachew Engida from UK/Ethiopia as the new
Board Chair and Dr Adama Traoré from Mali as the new Vice-Chair.
Mr Engida is the
Director and Comptroller,
United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in
France and Dr Traoré is the Executive Secretary of the
Malian Council for
Agricultural Research (CNRA).
On behalf of the Board
and WARDA staff, the Director General Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck
conveyed his deep appreciation to the outgoing Chair Mr Gaston
Grenier for his leadership since 2005. “Fortunately for WARDA,
Mr Grenier will continue to be a Board member until the end of
his second term,” stated Dr Seck.
A warm welcome was
extended to three new members – Dr Fatouma Seyni,
Docteur-Ingénieur in Soil Science, National Agricultural
Research Institute of Niger (INRAN); Dr Yo Tiémoko, Director
General,
National Center of
Agricultural Research of Côte d’Ivoire (CNRA); and Mr
Momodou Ceesay from The Gambia (member country representative
from the private sector).
The Board and staff bade a fond farewell to three members,
including two WARDA “veterans”
--
the outgoing Vice-Chair Dr Clémentine Dabiré from Burkina Faso
and Dr Rémi Pochat from France – and host country representative
Dr Bamba Gué from Côte d’Ivoire. “Their service to WARDA has
been invaluable and I am sure they will continue to be WARDA’s
goodwill ambassadors in their countries,” said Dr Seck.
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