WAVE AT THE HIGH-LEVEL FORUM ON IRRIGATION IN THE SAHEL
From 7 to 11 April 2025, WAVE,attended the High-Level Forum on Irrigation in the Sahel, which was organized in Dakar under the aegis of the Sahelian governments, the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the World Bank, and the Republic of Senegal.
The Dakar Declaration, adopted in 2013, set the target of developing one million hectares of irrigated land by 2020. The aim of the forum was therefore to evaluate the past ten years, identify emerging challenges, and outline new strategies for developing resilient and sustainable irrigation systems.
The Dakar +10 Forum was focused on achieving the following key goals:
• Assess the progress made since the 2013 Dakar Declaration in developing irrigation systems in the Sahel region.
• Propose new strategies for resilient irrigation systems that integrate current challenges and opportunities to guide future investments.
• Launch and validate the new post-Dakar Irrigation Strategy in collaboration with CILSS, the World Bank, and Sahelian countries, taking into account national priorities and orientations, and keep it aligned with regional strategies since 2017 (CILSS) and 2020 (African Union).
Held at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) in Diamniadio, the forum was structured around technical and political sessions tackling current irrigation challenges, innovative solutions, sustainable financing mechanisms and the adoption of a new regional strategy.
Why was WAVE involved?
In a context where climate change is increasing the frequency of transboundary plant and animal disease outbreaks and threatening the environment, as well as food and nutrition security, by exacerbating the vulnerability of hundreds of millions of people to severe food shortages, WAVE's participation in the Dakar +10 Forum aimed to:
- Emphasise the crucial link between irrigation and plant health
- Exchange with key players on models for regional cooperation around food sovereignty
A highlight: the exhibition fair
Organized alongside the forum, WAVE took part in the exhibition, showcasing its work among 24 other institutions. We took the opportunity to present some of the plant health solutions developed by our laboratories.
This strengthened our network of partner institutions and ministries responsible for agriculture and irrigation in member countries and created opportunities for future collaboration.
After five intense days of technical sessions, a political event, a trade fair and field visits, the High-Level Forum on Irrigation in the Sahel delivered on its promise.
WAVE SURVEILLANCE MISSION IN THE SOUTH-WEST AND NORTH-WEST REGIONS OF CÔTE D'IVOIRE
Between 2 and 16 April 2025, WAVE’s scientific teams covered the south-west and north-west regions of Côte d’Ivoire as part of a strategic plant health surveillance mission. The aim of this operation was to assess the possible presence of East African Cassava Mosaic Virus - Uganda (EACMV-UG), a virus hitherto confined to East and Central Africa that has recently been detected in Guinea.
A worrisome virus nearby
This virus is a cause for concern as it was detected in Guinea in 2024. Its ability to devastate crops by 70–100% and compromise food security makes it a major threat. Guinea’s geographical proximity to Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in the western part of the country, has raised legitimate concerns: has the virus crossed the border?
A huge mission
Two teams of 5 researchers each were deployed simultaneously:
North-West zone: Odienné, Touba, Biankouma, Sipilou, Man
South-West zone: San Pedro, Tabou, Taï, Guiglo, Bloléquin, Toulépleu, Zouan-Hounien, Danané
Overall:
191 cassava fields visited, including 182 iwhere whiteflies, which are major vectors of virus transmission, were observed.
549 cassava leaf samples collected
30 samples of alternative hosts taken to enrich the diagnosis.
Focus on varieties
Drawing lessons from the Guinean experience, the team recorded the characteristics and names of the varieties encountered during the surveys. this work will enable the most susceptible varieties to be identified and plant protection measures to be guided more effectively.
A challenging mission, driven by commitment
For a fortnight, our researchers faced extreme conditions: intense heat, sudden downpours, impassable roads and difficult-to-access villages. The mission left the teams with little respite. Despite the obstacles and challenges they faced, their determination never wavered. Driven by their commitment to plant health, the researchers demonstrated remarkable professionalism, combining scientific rigour with resilience in the field.
A key stage in the fight against viral diseases of cassava
The samples will be analysed in WAVE laboratories. The results will be used to draw up a complete inventory and guide future prevention and control strategies against African cassava mosaic virus in Côte d'Ivoire and the wider region.
This mission reaffirms WAVE’s leading role in plant health diagnostics in West and Central Africa.
Towards greater synergy for agricultural transformation in Tshopo province
On 17 March 2025, WAVE-IFA coordination team in Yangambi organized a strategic working session, bringing together stakeholders from the agricultural sector in Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This initiative aimed to present the progress of the WAVE programme, discuss the challenges encountered in the field, and strengthen collaboration with the provincial authorities.
Attendees included Her Excellency Maître Bijou Koy, the Provincial Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development, Fisheries and Livestock, who was there with technical staff from her office. Professor Godefroid Monde, Director of WAVE-IFA Yangambi, presented the initiative’s key accomplishments. Operating in 14 countries across West and Central Africa, the WAVE program strives to protect crops from plant diseases while promoting sustainable production systems.
Emphasis was placed on :
- epidemiological surveillance
- awareness-raising campaigns for producers
- introduction of the NURU mobile application for the rapid diagnosis of cassava diseases
- ongoing training for researchers and technicians
Professor Monde also highlighted the major constraints hindering activities, particularly the insufficiency of the provincial electricity system, which disrupts laboratory operations.
In her speech, Her Excellency Maître Bijou Koy praised the quality of the WAVE team’s work and reaffirmed her commitment to supporting the province’s research and innovation efforts. She also expressed her willingness to mobilise the necessary resources to meet the technical and logistical needs identified during the session.
The visit concluded with an opportunity for participants to explore the WAVE site and observe the scientific facilities.
This meeting was an important step towards strengthening the relationships between institutions, scientists and community members, with the aim of achieving sustainable agricultural transformation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.