Meeting with H.E. Sidi Tiémoko Touré, Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources of Cote d’Ivoire

Rabat - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today in Rabat with the Minister of Animal and Fishery Resources of Cote d’Ivoire, His Excellency Sidi Tiémoko Touré, on the margins of the 33rd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC33). 

The Director-General conveyed his appreciation to the Minister for the support extended to FAO by Coté d’Ivoire. He also recognized the long-standing cooperation between the two, and encouraged Cote d’Ivoire to lead agrifood systems transformation in the West African region.

The Minister referred to the concerning situation regarding the Peste des petis ruminants (PPR) in the region and asked for FAO’s support to set up a platform for all countries to address this challenge. He referred to the advocacy started at the African Union in this regard, noting that it had picked up momentum and that the European Union had now also joined in the advocacy to deal with the PPR challenge. The Minister further informed that there was an initiative with the AfDB, led by Coté d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Gambia to work on the PPR challenge.

The Minister also requested support to deal with other diseases like avian influenza and rabies in West Africa. He further stated that the country has an aquaculture project that needed to be strengthened with assistance, as it believes in the Blue Economy as a pilar for economic growth in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to continue to support Cote d’Ivoire and other countries in West Africa in their fight against PPR and other diseases, which are hindering progress and causing massive losses in food production, and inhibit agrifood systems transformation.