G/SPS/GEN/2124  
 
5 June 2023 
(23-3817) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
ECOWAS IMPLEMENTED SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY ACTIVITIES  
DURING THE PERIOD OF MARCH - JULY  2023  
COMMUNICATION FROM ECOWAS -USAID SENIOR SANITARY  
AND PHYTOSANITARY (SPS) STANDARDS ADVISOR  
The following communication, received on 4 June 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 (ECOWAS)  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 a nd 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 March to July  2023.  
2  PLANT HEALTH AND PLANT PROTECTION  
2.1  Participation in the AU -IAPSC Harmonization of Phytosanitary Regulation for 
Prioritized Commodities  
2.1.  One of the factors that promote agricultural development is the proper use of phytosanitary 
measures to ensure safe and fair trade of agri -products. When pr operly implemented, it can 
contribute to attain the SDGs. It is  with that perspective that the AU -IAPSC convened the continental 
harmonization of phytosanitary regulation of prioritized commodities to emphasize the importance 
of science -based phytosanitary  decisions, collaboration, cooperation, capacity building, information 
sharing, political support and enhanced investment in assuring safe and fair intra/inter -Africa and 
international trade in agri -products.  
2.2.  The objectives of the meeting are to:  
− Initiate the process of and further enhance the harmonization of the member States 
phytosanitary regulations ; 
− Identif y priority commodities and other regulated articles for which phytosanitary 
harmonization will be conducted ; 
− Prevent the introduction of quarantine pests or limit the introduction of regulated non -
quarantine pests with prioritized imported commodities and other regulated articles;  
− Promote information sharing among all relevant plant health/phytosanitary stakeholders, 
related traders and merchants, public and private sector stakeholders . 
2.3.  Next step  
− Conduct pest risk analysis (PRA) on the harmonized regulated pest list ; 
− Establish a list of quarantine/ regulated non -quarantine pest s; G/SPS/GEN/2124  
 
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  − Identify phytosanitary measures to mitigate the identified phytosanitary risks for traded 
commodit ies; 
− Build consensus and adopt the list of regulated pests . 
2.2  National sensitization on the principle of mutual recognition between countries in 
SPS matters, as defined in the ECOWAS 2010 regulation: Use of harmonized p hytosanitary 
certificates and facilitation of intra -regional trade - Case of Burkina Faso  
2.4.  Improving access to markets, whether local, regional or international, is essential to the 
sustainable transformation of food value chains in West Africa and the Sahe l. However, it is 
recognized that the region as a whole continues to suffer from an insufficient level of 
intra-community trade despite its potential and assets. This, certainly because of the non -application 
of the principle of mutual recognition and also  of the use of the harmonized phytosanitary certificate. 
Indeed, intra -regional trade is still weak in West Africa and the Sahel. According to ECOWAS 
statistics, it represents 15% of the value of overall commercial transactions in the region. When we 
compa re this level of transaction with the volume of production of certain commodities - more than 
70 million tonnes of cereals, more than 61 million head of cattle - and now between 70 and 80% of 
the products consumed by households are marketed in this vast ma rket. 
2.5.  In addition, the transport and marketing of agricultural and livestock products originating in 
the Community area are negatively impacted by obstacles linked to the non -application of mutual 
recognition and use of the harmonized phytosanitary certifi cate along the trade corridors, thereby 
hampering the movement of these products from production areas to consumption areas. 
These  obstacles include incidental expenses or illicit collections, numerous checkpoints and long 
stops at mobile checkpoints (cust oms, police, gendarmerie, water and forestry, transport unions, 
etc.). Similarly, the lack of professionalism of the actors (often resulting in the absence of 
documentation to be provided on the loads and the non -compliance of the means of transport), and 
above all the use of the harmonized phytosanitary certificate, constitute factors of hassle and cost 
increase at destination.  
2.6.  To address the above identified challenges, the West Africa Food System Resilience Program 
(PRSA/FSRP), supported by the World Ban k, has set itself the objectives, among other things, of 
"Harmonizing regional agricultural trade policies on critical issues of food system resilience", and 
consequently reduce trade barriers and harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary standards in order to 
facilitate the free movement of agricultural products. It is in this context that this national awareness 
meeting is organized in Burkina Faso.  
2.7.  The main objective is to raise the awareness of the authorities and the various stakeholders of 
cross-border tra de in order to reduce or eliminate obstacles/harassments to trade in agro -pastoral 
products.  
2.8.  Specifically, to:  
− Discuss with phytosanitary inspectors, stakeholders on the extent of obstacles and hassles 
to cross -border trade in general and those observed on  the Burkina -Faso and Côte d'Ivoire 
corridors in particular;  
− bring the inspectors and the various stakeholders to agree on the appropriate measures to 
reduce, or eliminate the various obstacles and hassles to the development of trade in agro -
pastoral produ cts; 
− sensitize and train phytosanitary inspectors on the mechanism of mutual recognition and 
use of the harmonized phytosanitary certificate;  
− Sensitize control officers at border posts on community directives and agreements to 
facilitate the free movement of agro -pastoral products.  
2.9.  More than 60 stakeholders including national competent authorities, physosanitary inspectors, 
police, immigration officers, traders, transit officers sensitized. It is expected the proper 
implementation of these measures will con tribute to facili tate intra -regional trade.  G/SPS/GEN/2124  
 
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  3  FOOD SAFETY  
3.1  Training workshop on "Development and Monitoring of a risk -based Harmonized 
Sanitary Inspection and Decision -Making Guide"  
3.1.  Following the growing challenges of food safety, the ECOWAS Commission and its partners 
have established in July 2022 a regional food safety regulatory convergence forum for better regional 
coordination and harmonization. The regional food safety convergence has adopted an action plan 
for 2023 and beyond and one of  the key activities  among others is "to develop a risk -based 
harmonized inspection, certification and decision -making guide for foodstuffs and training of sanitary 
inspectors ". The application of a harmonized sanitary inspection and decision -making guide w ill 
contribute to improve countries’ sanitary inspection system, food business operators ' environment 
and services, thus improving regional food safety compliance, protecting human health and ensuring 
regional safe trade of agriculture products.  
3.2.  This train ing aims to:  
− build the technical capacities of sanitary inspectors to develop and monitor sanitary 
inspection and decision -making ; 
− establish a technical working group, as a forum for exchanges between countries, to 
develop harmonized regional template guid es for sanitary inspection to be presented at 
the next annual West Africa and Sahel regional food safety and regulatory convergence 
meeting.  
3.3.  Next steps are highlighted in the figure below : 
 
4  ANIMAL HEALTH  
4.1  Vaccination of animal s to eradicate pest des petits  ruminants PPR  
4.1.  A vast regional vaccination campai gn led and implemented by the Regional Animal Health 
Centre (RAHC) based in Bam ako, Mali has helped to track and vaccinated thousands of animal in 
the region.  
5  GENERAL CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD  
5.1.  The ECOWAS Co mmission 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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