G/SPS/GEN/2096  
 
28 February  2023 
(23-1379) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
ECOWAS IMPLEMENTED SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY ACTIVITIES  
DURING THE PERIOD OF NOVEMBER 2022 – FEBRUARY 2023  
COMMUNICATION FROM ECOWAS -USAID SENIOR SANITARY  
AND PHYTOSANITARY (SPS) STANDARDS ADVISOR  
The following communication, received on 28 February  2023, is being circulated at the request of 
the Economic Community of West African States  (ECOWAS).  
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  The Economic Community of West African States  and its partners work to  implement and 
address SPS related issues at regional level that contribute to the vision to create an economic union 
and common market. In line with this objective, ECOWAS is implementing many agreements 
designed to support the free movement of goods and people throughout the region.  
1.2.  In view of improving and strengthening SPS activities in the ECOWAS and Sahel region, 
the following activities were implemented during the period of November 2022 - February 2023. 
It is to note that since March  2020, the COVID -19 pandemic that is still with us, and the Russia -
Ukraine war have impacted the smooth implementation of SPS -related activities at national and 
regional levels.  
2  PLANT HEALTH AND PLANT PROTECTION  
2.1  Completion of training workshop on the "Use of the Harmonized Phytosanitary 
Inspection and Decision -Making Guide"  
2.1.  It is important to recall that this in -country training should be conducted in all 15 ECOWAS 
member States plus Chad and Mauritania. The continuation and completion of the training workshop 
on "The Use of the Harmonized Phytosanitary Inspection and Decision -Making Guide" was held in 
N'Djamena, Chad for phytosanitary inspectors of Mali, Chad and Mauritania. This is an effort of 
USDA -FAS complemented by USAID West Africa Office dedicated to suppor t West Africa NPPOs 
Taskforce to disseminate the harmonized Guide in order to promote best practices in the conduct of 
plant quarantine operations in the sub -region. This training was conducted in N 'Djamena, Chad from 
6-9 February 2023, bringing  the total number of trained phytosanitary inspectors to 335 for the 
entire region.  
2.2.  Overall, this serie s of trainings at national level is a game changer and ha s helped to achieve 
the following outcomes : 
− 15 trainings sessions conducted at national level in all 17 member States amounted 
$320 k; 
− 1 technical document available, edited and disseminated ; 
− 335 inspectors trained and capacitated with inspection kit ; 
− 1 regional platform of phytosanitary inspectors established for real -time exchanges, 
experience sharing ; 
− joint collaboration and inspection at the borders improved ; 
− Contribute to facilitate the communication among inspectors at national level ; G/SPS/GEN/2096  
 
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  − contribute to mobilize additional resources at national leve l in the conduct of step -down 
training within the country . 
2.3.  Recalling the key sessions were about:  
− presentations and discussions on the provisions of the Guide related to phytosanitary 
inspection procedures for Import and Export; 
− Presentation of ISPM: 05, 0 7, 11, 12, 23, 31 and 32; 
− Exercises with practical demonstrations of inspection , sampling, pest detection and 
identification and decision -making ; 
− Field visit of one of the land border s between Chad and Cameroon . 
2.4.  Also, it is important to recall the program me aims at: 
− training in the countries, plant quarantine inspectors on a better understanding for further 
use of the Guide;  
− simulation exercises with practical demonstrations of phytosanitary inspection including 
pest detection and identification at the labo ratory;  
− testing  the applicability of the Guide.  
2.2  Sixth West Africa National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) and Partners ' 
Taskforce annual meeting and preparation of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures 
(CPM -17) meeting, Praia, Cabo Verde, 27 Feb ruary to 3 March 2023  
2.5.  The Regional West Africa NPPOs and Partners Taskforce was established in August 2017 in 
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso as a consultation framework to address phytosanitary related issues in 
the region. Since then, a regional action plan ha s been validated and implemented. In this 
framework, regular annual meetings have been organized to identify and address NPPO priorities as 
well as annual pre-CPM meetings to develop consensus among countries on common positions to be 
presented at the Comm ission on Ph ytosanitary Measures (CPM/IPPC), feeding into continental 
consolidated and harmonized position s. Therefore, it has become necessary to sustain this important 
regional coordination , consultation and harmonization mechanism as a s tatutory regiona l meeting 
for decision -making and information sharing instrument for a takeover of the region's priorities by 
the NPPOs.  
2.6.  The meeting aims to review West Africa and Sahel NPPOs Taskforce priorities, discuss major 
plant health and SPS trade issues, and prepa re for West Africa and Sahel member countries ' common 
positions to build, to address the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM -17) agenda. The key 
outcomes:  
− Major plant health and SPS trade issues in the region are shared and discussed ; 
− Regional NPPOs  Taskforces and partners action plan is reviewed and 2023 priority activities 
are defined ; 
− Common subjects and positions to defend during the CPM -17 meeting are discussed and 
recommendations adopted , and the lead as well as alternate countries to present t he 
adopted common position identified.  
3  FOOD SAFETY  
3.1  Participation in the African Union experts meeting on food additives to discuss, 
formulate and propose recommendations and common position s on matters related to the 
53rd session of the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA), to be held in Hong Kong, 
China, from 27 to 31 March 2023  
3.1.  A statutory African Union Experts meeting was organized from 20 to 24 February 2023 with 
the aim to discuss and recommend common position s on matters related to the 53rd sessio n of the 
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA). A common position document has been drafted and is 
being shared with African Union member States as a basis for further national consultations and 
presentation at the 53rd session of the CCFA.  G/SPS/GEN/2096  
 
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  4  GENERAL CONC LUSION AND WAY FORWARD  
4.1.  The ECOWAS Commission takes this opportunity to thank all partners for their continuing 
support in advancing SPS -related issues in the ECOWAS and Sahel sub -region, and to call for more 
collaboration, technical assistance and support for future implementation.  
 
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