The West Africa Inputs Market Application (WAIMA) project aims to increase agricultural productivity in Africa. It was launched at a workshop organised by FAO in Abidjan on 22 and 23 November.
Kanga Kouamé, assistant to the FAO program officer in Cote d’Ivoire, called it “a relevant and crucial initiative to boost agriculture in Cote d’Ivoire and the West African region.
Low agricultural productivity in Africa is a challenge for the United Nations system through its Food and Agriculture Organization.
To reduce the lack of agricultural productivity in African countries, FAO has decided to set up an information system on the availability of agricultural inputs to improve the results of producers, breeders and other actors in the sector.
According to him, the low intensification of agricultural production in the region is largely due to the lack of use of essential agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, animal feeds and veterinary products for animal health.
“This deficit is partly due to the lack of information on the availability of these inputs,” Dr. Kanga Kouamé explained, noting that it could be addressed by setting up a national or even regional information system.
“It is in this context that FAO is supporting the subregion with the Waima project,” Kouamé added. For him, the success of this project depends on the active participation of producers, importers and input traders in Cote d’Ivoire.
“You, coming from public and private structures, represent these key shareholders who will be essential interlocutors in the value and supply chain,” he told the participants.
This innovative system is intended to act as a catalyst for the availability, accessibility and promotion of agricultural inputs. In this way, Kouamé said, “we will contribute to strengthening Ivorian agriculture and promoting economic and social progress in the region.”
The Waima project is equipped with a web application for government actors and a mobile application for producers, breeders and others. It will enable all actors in the chain to network and communicate in real time with each other and with their suppliers about input costs and related information.
AP/lb/as/APA