FOA-Strengthening West African Community Phytosanitary Practices (USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10-20-0027); July 31, 2020

 

Agency

US Department of Agriculture – Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

 

Description

USDA/FAS is seeking partners with whom to collaborate throughout the West Africa region. Objectives focused on improving the region’s phytosanitary systems are:

•         Successfully provide regional assistance to ECOWAS countries to accomplish objectives and activities laid out in the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan,

•         Provide teaching to foreign governments to enable their capacity to harmonize import and export inspection procedures and protocols in West Africa, and

•         Improve coordination for regional harmonization and compliance with international standards and regional participation in setting international standards.

•         Develop guidance documents and other communication materials on improving regional phytosanitary systems that can be shared widely across the continent.

 

The Priority activities/deliverables are to conduct at least three regional activities with ECOWAS to include:

• Training of NPPOs on identification, detection, pest surveillance and response to invasive pests

• Training on risk-based inspections and phytosanitary certification

• Training on conducting quarantine treatments and application, including instruction on conducting treatments safely

• Strengthening the infrastructure of the NPPOs

• Strengthening information sharing among the NPPOs within the region

• Developing standard operational procedures (SOPs) for phytosanitary measures (or building upon possible current efforts in region or within the international community).

• Work closely with USDA APHIS colleagues to help facilitate technical exchanges of African experts to travel to the US to learn about harmonization of phytosanitary practices, including inspection and other regulatory border activities, and improved food security and agricultural resilience from invasive pests. Activities would be conducted on a regional basis through the Africa regional plant protection organization, Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU/IAPSC).

• Provide technical trainings on science-based systems to gather analyze and disseminate information on the presence and prevalence of high-risk diseases, pests, or food safety hazards in the region.

• Provide technical assistance to conduct a survey to identify institutional gaps and pinpoint in adequacies that hinder the development of establishing an Africa NPPO plant health safeguarding capacity building program.

• Monitoring the program, evaluating progress in achieving objectives, and reporting outcomes.

 

The separate USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10-20-0028 opportunity focuses on East African Community Phytosanitary Priorities.

 

Announcement Number

USDA-FAS-10960-0700-10-20-0027

 

Closing Date

July 31, 2020

 

Link to Full Announcement

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=327962

 

Contact Information

Mary Ensch

202-791-8483

Mary.Ensch@usda.gov