In Seychelles, the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of Seychelles, partnering with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat, concludes an evaluation of the national phytosanitary system-(Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation Workshop & Validation Mission)
The National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO), working in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat, an expert facilitator and other partners has concluded a five-month assessment of Seychelles ’phytosanitary system. The third and final workshop took place from the 27 November to the 1st of December. During this workshop participants from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Industry, representatives of other government departments and the national phytosanitary industry, grower associations and IPPC Secretariat staff reviewed and validated the outcomes of the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE) and shared key outcomes with development partners. This assessment is part of the project “Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control,” a 5-million-euro project funded by the European Union which began in November of 2022 to provide support national plant protection organizations and other leading institutions in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member States.
The project is designed to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health. As part of the European Union-funded project GCP/GLO/949/EU (“Strengthening food control and phytosanitary capacity and governance”), phytosanitary capacity evaluations (or PCEs) are being implemented in nine countries in the African Union to support countries in fulfilling international obligations and develop strategic plans to strengthen phytosanitary trade regulatory systems and the country’s phytosanitary network. Throughout the project’s activities, three missions are being carried out in each country to conduct a Phytosanitary capacity evaluation (PCE)
The project, co-signed by the Government of Seychelles, falls within the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa developed by the African Union (AU) to spur trade among AU Member States and is being implemented in close collaboration with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE).
This is the first time that Seychelles conducts a Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation. Through the PCE process, the NPPOs and private sector stakeholders evaluate the country’s current phytosanitary systems and develop a national strategy to improve these systems over the next 5-10 years. Over the course of three PCE consensus workshops and much collaborative work happening in-between, the process empowers NPPOs to develop and implement a strategic plan that will address gaps identified and guide the country’s capacity development needs. The outcomes of the PCE can be used to help mobilize resources to implement elements of the strategic plan. For this PCE, the National Plant Protection Office of Seychelles chose to focus on six of the 13 PCE modules. Module 1, that assesses a country’s phytosanitary legislation; module 6 – NPPO resources; module 7- Pest diagnostic capacity; module 8 – NPPO pest surveillance and pest reporting capacity; module 10 – Phytosanitary import regulatory system; module 11 – Pest risk analysis. Throughout the process IPPC-certified phytosanitary capacity evaluation facilitators have worked closely with the national plant protection organization and relevant stakeholders, guiding the process, the implementation of the PCE and in the development of a strategic plan meant to improve the country’s plant health and economic development.
The final workshop is the culmination of the five-month process for Seychelles. During the workshop last week, the results of the first two workshops were validated by a team of national stakeholders involved in the project who also started developing a national strategic plan. During the closing ceremony, on the last day of the workshop, results of the PCE process were shared with senior government officials and partners and key elements of the strategic plan were highlighted. The culmination of the PCE will be a National Phytosanitary Strategy and a costed plan that the National Plant Protection Office may use to guide its work to improve national phytosanitary systems.